Sapience
by joshuawu3
Summary: Chris fights for the good of ANE and the chance of reuniting with his lost family. He fights blood and sweat for every planet against his dead foe, the Seminar aliens. Or are they really his enemy, for they have some secret similarities that may just bring Chris' life crashing down
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The beginning of human life was not what we imagined; we only saw a small part of a bigger universe, like the frog in the well. We assumed that we were the only living beings in the universe, and flourished in that knowledge. However, the truth could never be farther. It really began long before what scientists call the beginning, the "Big Bang."

Humans actually originated from a planet six billion tetrayears away from our "Earth", one tetrayear is equivalent to one trillion light years. The first human evolved from a fish, climbing onto land and then building up a civilization. Green forests decorated the planet and wide oceans blotted the horizon, just like our Earth. Empires grew as ages passed, technology advanced and humans expanded. The discovery of cars, then airplanes, then ion engines, then quantum travel; all of these revolutionary inventions promoted the human expansion in the universe. Once space travel was invented, humans dropped their weapons and allied under one flag, the ANE, the Allied Nations of Earth. Ten billion years after the first human stepped on land, the ANE had expanded to stretch over ten galaxies.

By the time the empire stretched across twenty galaxies, humans made contact with the first extraterrestrial ever encountered, it didn't end peacefully. War erupted between the two empires simply because of the disability to communicate. The aliens outgunned us, outnumbered us, and outmatched us. Nevertheless, humans had the will to survive. In the deepest of pits, humans would find the spirit to crawl out. This is what saved us from extinction time and time again; this is what would save us once again. We pulled together and conscripted an army. Pulling on the resources of twenty galaxies, we built a vast fleet of ships. Two enormous armies and fleets clashed in what would be known as the Battle of Franian, the turning tide in the war. We were outgunned, but we had an erudite general, Henry. In what would be called the Henry Loop maneuver, Henry moved the fleet like a scythe, agile and deadly, and destroyed the alien fleet in a pincer movement. From then on, the ANE was on the offensive.

During the "Dark Time," when the ANE suffered defeat after defeat, human morale was low. The leaders of the ANE came together to come up with a solution to this problem, they decided to merge two problems into one and spear both at the same time. They created the Special Agent program, investing hundreds of trillions of dollars into creating the human superman. First, they opened up a government orphanage, and soon, children were flocking to it like bees on honey. They began training from ages five to eight, building up mentally and physically. Twenty years after the Special Agent program was initiated, the first Special Agent, Henry, was released into the wild. It was an immediate success. Stories of one man bulldozing through an army of aliens, hacking and killing with superhuman agility, spread like a wild fire, and morale fired up. He became a legend, the one-man army, and the guardian of Earth. Later on, five more Special Agents graduated, each proving to be a worthy investment. After the battle of Franian, although the human morale was high enough to be confident in, the Special Agent program continued to pump out super soldiers, who were then sent to the frontier to fight. The second problem, the solution was classified and locked deep in the secret recesses of the ANE command.


	2. Contact

**1. Contact**

As he reached for the light switch, Chris heard someone say, "Stop right where you are, or you will die." Years of training kicked in as he turned to the sound and leaped. As he was a Special Agent who was used to people being surprised by his speed and agility, so he was surprised when he landed on the floor with the speaker not there. He quickly removed his night vision goggles from his belt and put them on. Several things raced through his mind. _This guy apparently is special. Normal people don't move or react that fast. _His eyes narrowed as a thought jumped on him. _Unless it wasn't a person! Unless the speaker was an alien. _This thought rang alarm bells through his brain. _That means that the aliens are ahead of schedule, and the others are unaware. I must alert West Command. No, I should organize a resistance first._

All of a sudden, he dropped to the ground as several objects swished above him. His earplugs immediately recognized the sound and registered the objects in a heartbeat. "Items recognized as Sorak'amm Darts." whispered the ear plugs, "Known for their accuracy and portability, the Larekekk are known to use them." _Larekekk. Shoot. This is getting worse by the minute._

Larekekks are the equivalent to human scouts. Their job in the Seminar Army was to venture into enemy territory and get a handhold. They would be the scouting party, responsible for sowing confusion into the enemy lines. Then the main force would come in and defeat the enemy. In this case, they would be used as assassins, killing as many soldiers as possible in an effort to reduce the amount of resistance.

While he was listening to his earplugs, Chris was also trying to locate his assailant through the direction of the darts. Instinct took over as he located the origin and took out his knife. It had a titanium backbone and its edge was serrated. Made specifically on Earth, it was a nasty weapon and companion. It had accompanied Chris throughout countless wars and dangers. It had saved his lives some many times that he stopped keeping track. Now, it was the perfect weapon yet again.

He got into a crouch position and leaped. He twisted to the left, narrowly missing another dart. He landed on the floor rolled to the new origin of the dart. Chris then pictured a Larekekk in his mind and thrust his knife into where its weak spot would be. He was immediately rewarded with a incomprehensible scream. Chris then twisted the knife and tackled the Larekekk. The Larekekk struggled for a few seconds but then fell limp as his life force vanished.

Chris sighed while disentangling himself from the Larekekk. He immediately stopped the sigh and resumed a serious face as he remembered one of the lectures that the instructors had said before, "Never let emotions escape your iron grip. Keep your emotions under control at all times. In the battlefield, training will save you, emotions won't."

Once again, years of training saved him as he instinctively threw himself to the right. A explosion blossomed where he was just a second ago. "Item recognized as Sorak'amm Sbombs. Assassins specially use these as they contain a lot of punch and their explosions are muffled to a dull thump. The Larekekk are particularly fond of this weapon." his ear plugs whispered.

Countless lectures provided him with vital information. _The Larekekk only use these weapons in trios. Because of their size, a trio would be the most formidable group with the Sbombs. One holds the launcher while the other reloads it. The last Larekekk would be in charge of covering the whole group._ Chris analyzed the situation and came up with a solution. _How am I so stupid? How could I miss the third person? _He made a tactical retreat and slipped away silently.

As he headed toward the barracks, he could just make out other dull thumps resonating throughout the space station. _I wonder how they slipped through the defenses. After all, this is the command post for the West Fleet. Unless they managed to infiltrate the space station by teleporting a small group of Larekekks into the station. _He let his brain chew on that thought for a while as he continued down the corridor. _Wow, all this is happening and I haven't even graduated yet, I'm just a trainee training in a "training compound." Live combat isn't even due yet, what on earth? _

He rounded a corner and recognized two Larekekk creeping down the hallway toward the barracks. The door guard posted by the door was gently snoozing. _Guess I should deal with whatever's happening right now first. As the saying goes, first things first. _Chris gathered up his legs and leaped to the right of the Larekekk. As he expected, the Larekekks turned around and released a spray of darts as they heard the slight commotion. There was nothing but air to meet the hail of darts. However, Chris knew that the surprise wasn't going to last. Already, the Larekekk on the left was turning to meet him. He feinted an uppercut and the Larekekk responded by lifting his gun to block. For a split second, it revealed its one weak chink in its armor, the armpit. Chris immediately reversed the swing into an undercut, stabbing right at the exposed flesh. He then grasped the Larekekk and swung it onto himself as a body shield. The other Larekekk hesitated to shoot at his wounded comrade. Chris seized the hesitation and darted forward with surprising speed and agility. He twisted the gun out of the Larekekk's grasp and stabbed into the armpit. Chris held the Larekekk tight until it finally fell limp as its life force sifted away.

Chris let the prone Larekekk fall to the floor as he turned to the barracks. He saw the now alert door guard tightly gripping his gun. The door guard's eyes shown with fear as he raised the gun slightly at Chris. Chris recognized this as the East 1-3 Barracks. He scavenged his brain for the correct password.

All Special Agents were taught all the different passwords for the different barracks. They were etched in each Agent's brain for they could prove handy in the event of an emergency. However, this information could wreck the whole fleet if in the wrong hands. Therefore, all Special Agents were meticulously chosen and invited to try out. They would each have to pass a series of tests after one week of basic training. The tests would test the physical, mental, and psychological status of the soldier. Then, a group of ten men (The Shadows), would analyze the data and single out the individual soldiers who would then qualify to enter the two year, Special Agent training camp.

He approached the nervous door guard and said calmly, "The password is Hunter."

The door guard relaxed and questioned casually, "What's your business?"

"Apparently there is a war going on and no one knows it."

"That explains those two guys over there," the door guard said as he gestured to the two prone forms of the Larekekks. "Stay right here. I'll go rouse the commander."

The door guard promptly opened the door, slipped in, and shut the door. Chris peeked down the dimly lit corridors. _No sign of enemy presence. Seems like this isn't the main force. Otherwise, this place would be overrun with aliens. _

The door swung open, revealing a man in his 30's. Ruffled black hair hid underneath his hat. Smile wrinkles lined his eyes and mouth. He was about 5'3", with two muscular looking arms. Overall, he looked like he an 80-year-old Olympian.

"So, you wanted to see me? The leader of the AC Company, where we provide the air conditioning." the captain asked with a sarcastic smile, "I've heard that there's some commotion happening in the station." His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the two Larekekk sprawled on the floor.

"Yes sir. I've discovered enemy forces on the station. This is only the scouting party. The main army will be following once the Larekekk manage to disable the defenses. My guess is their objective would be to take out the command center, that's where they can control anything." said Chris while keeping his gaze fixed on the captain, "So, if you and your company would accompany me, choose two platoons to go and rouse the others while we make it to the command center, that would be helpful."

The captain fingered his chin as he thought about it. Eventually, he reached a conclusion and said, "Very well. We'll go and be heroes with you. Soldiers! Up on your feet and suit up! I want everyone organised and ready by 0100, which is in three minutes! GO! GO! GO! GO!"

The soldiers in the barracks, all awakened from the commotion outside the door involving the two Larekekks, scrambled out of their bunks as they hurried to get ready. They put on their battle fatigues, gathered their equipment, and grabbed their guns off the rack. In two minutes, 10 orderly rows of soldiers were standing in front of the captain, ready to go.

"Now that's what I call professionalism," said the captain proudly as the sergeants checked that everyone was present in their platoons. Chris only rolled his eyes and nodded as if he was listening. _These captains. Always bragging when they have the chance. Even if there is a war going on, the see someone else and they'll tell their company's story sugarcoated. _

"Captain, time is ticking out. Every second we spend here means that the enemy is closing in on the command center. The whole fleet will fall if the West flank crumbles. Therefore, you should get on with the business now." Chris emphasized the last word in order to get to the captain.

The captain immediately retained a serious face, which just made him look older. His wrinkles creased into frowns, as he understood that this was a Special Agent he was looking at, not any ordinary person. "Yes sir. Right away."

"Good, then get on with it."

"I Platoon!"

"All present sir!"

"J Platoon!"

"All present sir!"

"Split up and rouse companies A-D. Raise the alarm. Say that you are acting on my orders."

"Yes sir!"

"MOVE OUT!"

The two platoons quickly organized their members into pairs and the sergeants set about distributing destinations. The two platoons then quickly filed out the door and into the corridor.

"Everyone move out. We're heading for the command center at full speed. Along the way there will be uglies so be prepared." the captain said and was immediately rewarded with a series of laughs, "If you waltz into some of them, show them your dancing skills. Everyone else will forge on. When you finish your lovely showing off, catch up ASAP. Understand?"

"Yes sir!"

In all of this, Chris stood by one side looking vaguely disinterested. _Always like this. These soldiers, good grief! No wonder we nearly lost at the Hactues Moons. Cause we got captains like this!_ Chris looked at the captain and said, "Are you ready yet?"

"Yea! But before we go," the captain picked up a gun and threw it to Chris. "Thought you might appreciate this."

Chris deftly caught the gun and inspected it. It was a Black Barret, a 16mm, semi-automatic, suppressed, medium range rifle. It was the standard issue weapon for Marines. In this case, the rifle was equipped with a 200m scope, capable of night vision viewing and thermal imagery. A silencer was attached at the mouth of the gun, muffling the resonating shots to a muffled thump. Capable of spitting out 50 slugs in a minute, it was a fierce and handy weapon. Moreover, it was loaded with armor-piercing bullets. _Apparently they got a friend in the armory or this company is special. If they are special, I'm not really surprised. That would name the fact that they're the "A" company. _It was like an ant compared to the weapons he normally used, but it would have to do in this case. He reloaded the gun, hearing a satisfied chink as a bullet slid into place.

"Thanks. Now lets GO!" said Chris just as he turned and ran into the corridor.

The captain smiled and pulled out a pistol. "Follow him boys. Everybody! Single file. Platoon A, lead the way. Platoon C! Take the rear. Everyone else lets GO!" The captain waved everyone forward and ran after Chris.

Chris ran through the maze of corridors, hearing the occasional yell of a soldier and the muffled shots of gunfire. _There's definitely some skirmishes happening. I hope those two platoons got to the other companies in time. We'll lose if we're the only resistance. _Conscious of the fact that Company AC was following him, Chris continued jogging toward the command center.

Then in front of him, a Larekekk stepped into view as it rounded a corner. However, this wasn't a normal Larekekk, it was an Ar'Larekekk, a heavily armored Larekekk. It had heavy armor, consisting of thick black plates made from strong fibers. They wore full body armor including a helmet. Their weapons also packed a stronger punch than the standard issue Larekekk ones. Overall, they were a big obstacle when you ran into one of them. Moreover, they normally travelled in packs of five. Therefore, as Chris saw the Larekekk, he decided to act immediately. He raised the gun, took a quick aim and squeezed off five shots.

Chris knew before he fired that even the armor-piercing bullets would not penetrate the tough Ar'Larekekk armor, so he aimed for the neck. The Ar'Larekekk took on a surprised expression, then fell limp as five armor-piercing bullets pierced the weaker neck covering. They penetrated the flexible neck covering and lodged themselves comfortably into its neck. The Ar'Larekekk fell prone to the floor and Chris exhaled in relief that his aim was true. And that was when everything went wrong.

A group of four Ar'Larekekk stepped into view as they rounded the corner with their guns raised. One of the Ar'Larekekk hefted a SBomb and readied to fire when he saw the lone human. To make matters worse, four more Larekekks rounded the corner right behind the Ar'Larekekks.

Chris had only seconds to act. He leapt to the right while desperately shooting randomly at the enemy. His shots were wild and they only bounced off the armor of the Ar'Larekekks. Then the Ar'Larekekks opened fire and the SBomb propelled itself toward him.

Chris awoke to the sound of his earplugs constant mutter. He opened his eyes and saw blurry spots going in and out of focus. He could hear vague sounds of gunfire and muffled explosions. _The Ar'Larekekks must be engaged with the soldiers. I must be in the middle of the firefight. _He began to move but a burning sensation on his side stopped him. Chris slowly moved his hand to his side, conscious of the fact that he was in faking death. His hands encountered wetness and then he felt a metal rod. _It must be the dart. I must have been shot. _Chris had been taught in the practices of first aid, in fact, every Special Agent was required to be proficient at it. So, he first slowly removed the metal dart. The pain was excruciating, but he was trained not to make a sound. The dart was a full inch long. He set gently to the side and then silently ripped a piece of fabric. Chris then tied it around the wound tightly as to staunch the bleeding. He looked around, looking for his gun, then he spotted it. It was lying around 5 inches away. Chris knew that if he were to survive, he would have to move fast, very fast. He readied himself physically and mentally, and sprung into action.

He first propelled himself towards his gun, sliding along the floor. Then he grabbed the gun, spun around, jammed the ammunition in, and sprayed the Ar'Larekekks with lead. All of this accomplished under 3 seconds time. The Ar'Larekekks were caught completely by surprise. 2 Ar'Larekekks went down under the barrage of bullets along with 3 Larekekks. The rest adjusted their aim for Chris, but he wasn't there.

Before he even acted, he knew what would happen all along. Chris knew that even though the gun was equipped with a suppressor, the gun at full automatic would still provide enough recoil to send a person flying, unless he was standing firm. In fact, that was what Chris was counting on. He had spotted the captain and his men, firing from behind a makeshift mound of dead soldiers. Chris then inferred that a Black Barret with a full clip on auto would provide enough propulsion to propel him to the captain.

Chris slid all the way to the mound of dead soldiers and stopped there. He then leaped over the mound, into the company of two other soldiers. "Hey look, its that dude. The dude that took out the two Larekekks." said one of them. Chris recognized him as the door guard that he had bumped into before. _Yea. I'm that guy. _Instead, Chris chose to be silent, reloading his gun and peeking out at the enemy.

"Hey, mister. I'm talking to you. Where were you when we lost everyone? Hu-"

Chris tackled the two men sending them flying backwards just as the mound they were at exploded sending pieces of blood and meat flying everywhere. The gunfire intensified as the Ar'Larekekks took the opening and charged. "RRRAAAARRRRLLLLL!" the aliens yelled at the top of their lungs as they ran towards the humans. Chris snatched a grenade from one of the soldier's belt, tore off the top and threw at the charging Ar'Larekekks. _I hope this works. _This was a trick he learned in the Special Agent Training Camp.

Normally you would pull the pin from the grenade. Then you would throw the grenade sending it flying through the air. After ten seconds from you pulling the pin, the grenade would then explode. However, this would be inconvenient if you had to have the grenade explode in a short amount of time. Therefore, the Special Agents developed a technique to make the grenade explode after one second. Actually, one Special Agent discovered by accident and nearly killed himself in the process. The technique involved pulling the head off of the body of the grenade and then throwing it. This would destabilize the explosives inside the body, resulting in an explosion after one second. But, if you did not throw the grenade fast enough, it would blow up in your face. That is why although the Special Agents are taught the technique; they are highly discouraged to use it unless it was an absolute emergency.

In this case, Chris was gifted with the talent of speed. The grenade sailed through the air and blew up in the leading Ar'Larekekks face. The resulting explosion was muffled, but the physical effects were clearly seen. Scattered pieces of armor and alien meat were scorched and spilled all about. "That was gross," one of the soldiers he tackled said in disgust as he peeled a piece of alien meat off of his body.

"Talk about it. But that was a fancy move you did there. How did you do it?" asked the other soldier.

"Screw that soldier. We got a priority mission. Now let's get a move on!" the captain said as he jogged past them, leading the rest of the company. Chris stood up, brushed off the scraps, and followed the captain.

"Nice to see you, _sir._" said the captain with an emphasis on the last word.

Chris showed no sign of recognition or reaction, he merely said: "How many casualties did you take?"

"Total count approximates it at nine dead and thirteen wounded. Four are fatally wounded so we can't move them. Only one still has the fighting spirit in him."

Chris sighed, so early in the passage and their casualty rates were already soaring. "I hate to say this but we are gonna have to leave all the wounded soldiers behind. Let two soldiers stay guard and the rest will continue."

"What! These are my soldiers you're talking about. Two soldiers are gonna get them all killed! Is that what you are! A cold blooded killer!" the captain snarled and he stopped in his tracks. The whole company halted as they heard the commotion.

"Bringing the wounded men with us will just slow down our pace. They will also be a big obstacle when we get into a firefight. I am merely putting the safety of humanity before our soldiers," Chris replied calmly, but he could feel his anger boiling. "You as a captain. You should realize your priorities. What was that oath you took when you joined the navy? _I will put the safety of mankind before my friends, my family, my blood, and my comrades. _Are you honoring your oath right now?! ARE YOU?"

Their faces were inches apart from each other. The captain was pure angry. His wrinkles were pulled down, clearly pronouncing his anger. The captain looked into Chris' eyes and was pulled in. Something in those eyes made him stop. They were cold, a murderer's eyes. He felt like he was looking into a black hole, an endless pit straight to the fiery pits of hell. He knew Chris could kill him in ten different ways right there and then, and he could do it if he wanted to. Slowly his anger drained away, and a feeling of fear replaced it.

"V-Very well sir. I'll g-get to it r-right away." the captain stuttered and immediately set to work on choosing the two guards. He gave them an order, mumbling to the soldiers quietly. The soldiers widened their eyes, as they understood, then slowly, reluctantly, moved away from the main group, heading towards the wounded men. The captain came back, looking tired, depressed and dejected. He turned around, looking one last time at the wounded soldiers he was leaving behind. Then he turned and resumed jogging in the direction they were heading.

Chris hated doing this. He felt deeply guilty and sorry toward the captain. However, war is war. Compassion and emotions will lead to eventual failure. And in war, failure means death. Chris, as a Special Agent, was taught to put a tight restraint on his emotions. Even if his family was being insulted, or something outrageous was happening, Chris wouldn't even flinch. Instead, he would proceed according to the mission objective. The captain however, wasn't taught as he was, so his emotions would run deeper. But in order to survive in war, a captain must be ready to condemn his soldiers to certain death if it meant the success of a mission. Chris loaded his weapon and jogged after the captain.

After a while, they reached the command center. The two hallways that connected to the command center were pitch black and empty. The double doors were shut as protocol required it to be. There was no evidence of commotion of any kind. In theory, the whole thing was perfect. Except for one thing, the guard was missing. The captain stopped and pantomimed some orders. Five soldiers crept to the doors silently. Two soldiers split to both of the doors. They placed a small metal box, which stuck to the door. Then they retreated back to the main group. A soldier was listening intently to his headphones. They were connected to the two metal boxes by a thin wire. He then passed the headphones to the captain who put it on. The captain frowned then handed it to Chris. Chris put it on. At first he heard nothing, just static. Then he heard it. A tiny shuffle. A small movement. A tiny clink of armor.

Chris handed the headphones back to the captain and nodded solemnly. The captain acknowledged the nod and then said something to the soldier next to him. The soldier picked up the black box that was hooked up to the two boxes on the door. He pressed a button and the door exploded. The door disappeared in a fiery tornado that ended just as fast as it appeared. The command center opened up to the waiting soldiers and they ran in.

The command center was littered with desks that had papers and computers scattered on them. It was about the size of a classroom meant for 50 people. There were three screens at the front of the room that showed the various movements of the fleet. When the first soldiers charged in, the first thing they noticed was that there was no movement at all. The normal flurry of movements was nonexistent. Then they noticed all the blood stains and how the desks seemed to have been placed as a barricade to defend itself against intruders coming in from the door. That's when the Larekekks hiding behind the desks opened fire. A hailstorm of darts met the charging soldiers, peppering them with darts. They spun and danced in the storm as their life seeped away. The next soldiers met the same fate. Eventually, a pile of dead bodies made a makeshift barrier for the soldiers to hide behind. It was bad.

The ground by the doors was littered with bodies, splashed with bright red blood. Bullets and darts flew around the room, embedding themselves into anything. The situation was worsening by the minute for the captain. In their exposed position, they were taking more and more casualties as the enemy merely sniped them off. Chris, with the soldiers at the front, was similarly frustrated. He peeked to the side of the mound he was hiding behind and took a shot at another Larekekk doing the same thing. Its head exploded in a pink mist as Chris ducked back under cover. Although Chris' uncanny marksmanship did the humans a big favor, it wasn't enough.

Then Chris came up with an idea. He hurried over to the captain and explained it to him.

"Captain, order five of your men to follow me at all costs. When I give the signal, have half of your men fire, or throw grenades to the left and cause as much distraction as possible. After two seconds, have the other half concentrate their fire on the desks on the right for five seconds. We'll charge the right and hopefully flank them. When that happens, do whatever you can to sweep them out." The captain nodded, growing more enthusiastic as the plan began taking shape in his mind.

"What's the signal?"

"You'll know it when you see it."

The captain immediately set about, issuing orders and distributing extra ammunition. Chris went about preparing the signal. He took out a secret weapon that every Special Agent had. It was a small round cylinder, about an inch in radius. It looked small and insignificant but it was a powerful weapon. Also known as an EMP (Electromagnetic pulse), this was a smaller version of it, specifically modified by the Armorers. This particular one would release a EMP that would shut down all weapons used in the Seminar, or most of them at least. However, it would only last for fifteen seconds and only affect weapons in a five feet radius. Moreover, all Larekekks have an energy blade, which is not affected and is just as formidable. Therefore, the success of the plan counted a lot on pure luck.

Chris hurried back to the captain who said, "Ready."

"Good. When the enemy stops firing, tell your soldiers to giv'em h-."

"Roger that." the captain said with a wicked smile on his face.

Chris hurried back to his original position where five soldiers were waiting for him. "Ready boys?"

"Heck'yea!" they chorused.

Chris took out the metal cylinder, pressed a button, and lobbed it over the Larekekks heads. There was a second where the gunfire did not lessen and Chris began to worry that it all failed. Then, the darts stopped and Chris yelled, "GO! GO! GO!"

Everything went as planned. The left flank opened up as half the soldiers stood up and began firing at the enemy. One of the soldiers lobbed a grenade, followed by a splintering explosion. He saw a Larekekk stand up, wave an energy blade, and go down under a hail of bullets. Nevertheless, the Larekekks were also fighting back. He saw a soldier fall as a spinning energy blade sliced through his body. All of a sudden, everyone else on the right stood up and fired upon three desks on the right. Hundreds of armor piercing bullets splintered the three desks leaving an opening in the barricade.

"C'mon soldiers, let's GO!" Chris sprinted forwards towards the gap without looking back. He could hear the constant chatter of gunfire as the soldiers provided suppressing fire for them. Then, he heard a dull whine of an energy blade heading right towards him. Chris slid, leaning back as an energy blade whisked right above him, an inch away from his face. He stopped behind a desk, peeked out and fired several rounds at an unlucky Larekekk. Three more soldiers joined him. _The other ones must have taken energy blades. Well, this will have to do. _The three of them stayed there, firing at any Larekekk that charged at them. Chris reloaded countless times as numerous Larekekks charged their position. One of the soldiers got his left arm cut off while the other simply was cut up by two of them. In the end, Chris was the only one left fighting in the trio. He gripped an energy blade and thought; _It's time to end this madness. _He threw down his gun handled a pistol in his left hand. Then Chris stood up and charged at the Larekekks, yelling as he went.

A Larekekk popped out at him but he raised his pistol and shot it in the face. Another Larekekk charged him, its energy blade hacking a downward arc toward him. He parried it with his own blade and shot the Larekekk in the belly. Two more Larekekk charged him side by side, both stabbing at him. Chris threw down his pistol, gripped his energy blade with two hands, and attacked. He forced his energy blade downwards so that the two Larekekks blades slid to the side. Then, Chris changed his grip and slashed at the first Larekekk. It slid through its light armor, severing an artery. The other Larekekk recovered from the initial block and began a swing but never ended it. Chris had already pulled out his knife and stabbed the Larekekk in the neck. He pulled it out but it wasn't over yet.

After charging through the enemy, Chris was now located in the majority of the Larekekks. He was completely surrounded. Then everyone charged. Chris threw his knife backwards, impaling itself in a Larekekks face. He turned and slashed at three Larekekks and stabbed at another. Pulling out his knife, he ducked, narrowly missing an energy blade, then kicked with all his might at the attacker. The Larekekk flew backwards, knocking over several of his comrades. Chris sidestepped as a Larekekk slashed at him. Then he pounded the Larekekks arm, shattering the bones, and took its energy blade. Turning around to face the next attacker, he stabbed the wounded Larekekk behind him. Chris ducked and swept his next attackers feet and stabbed downwards, ending its life. Chris left the blade there, standing straight in the Larekekk.

Chris stood up, gripping his knife loosely. Blood dripped from the knife down onto the blood stained bodies. He stood in a circle of dead Larekekks, all in a variety of gruesome postures. His shirt was stained with blood, ripped and shredded in multiple places. This was what a Special Agent was meant to be. A killer. There was a ring of Larekekks surrounding him, aiming directly at him. Chris breathed calmly. _If I started it, then I have to finish it._ He swiftly picked up an energy blade and hurled it at a Larekekk. Then he jumped for the two nearest Larekekks. The other Larekekks fired and Chris heard darts flying behind him. Chris tackled the two Larekekks and used them as a body shield. Multiple darts struck the two Larekekks on top of Chris. He then pushed them away and sprinted towards the rapidly closing gap. A dart hit him in the shoulder but he kept running. All seemed lost, and then the soldiers came.

The captain was at the front, leading the soldiers and shooting at the Larekekks. Soldiers charged and fell as darts struck home. For a moment, the Larekekks were distracted and confused. Confusion spread throughout their ranks as the soldiers burst into their formation. Chris seized the chance and rolled toward the nearest Larekekk. He stabbed, dodged, fired, and stabbed again. His mind went on autopilot, rolling through the enemy, hacking down anyone that got into his path. He was a killer robot, killing Larekekks with mechanical precision and skill. The Larekekks were being reduced in numbers and the captain's soldiers seemed to be winning. Then, there was a commotion at the two doors.

Chris looked and saw two soldiers fall as Larekekks poured in the double doors. He saw the captain turn and see the Larekekks. The captain pointed at them and shouted at some of his soldiers. They immediately turned around to face the new threat, but the Larekekks outnumbered them five to one. One after another, the soldiers began to fall to this new threat. A Larekekk charged him and Chris stabbed it in the throat. However, the movement caused his shoulder to release another spurt of blood. In his already weakened state, Chris could stand no longer. He fell to the floor and began losing consciousness. He could see the captain standing above him, firing at any Larekekk that came near. Then he went down under a hail of darts. Three other soldiers came to his aid and fought off the other Larekekks. Chris blacked out.


	3. Damen

2. Damen

Chris came to slowly in a hospital. His shoulder was bandaged and there was an IV drip attached to his arm. He was wearing a simple hospital gown that blended in with the white hospital bed. There were other patients all lined in rows along with him. Several doctors moved along the rows, checking the small screen at the end of each bed. There was a sign that said, "Wing 5:Hospital Hope." _Hospital Hope. Isn't that on Gamean? Thats like 40 light years from the frontline. _Chris looked to the right and saw a man dressed in the standard Special Agent uniform walking in his direction. He was burly, a standard trait for a Special Agent. However, in his black hair, there were streaks of grey, showing his age. Chris moved to un attach the IV drip but the man intercepted the motion. "It's all right Chris. I'm no enemy. I'm a friend." Now that Chris could see the man's face, he could see scars, records of past encounters with enemies. His eyes were a pale blue color, like the color of the sea spray that decorates the edge of a wave. Wrinkles lived on the side of anything that creased. His hair was a blackish color, with an occasional streak of grey that he had noticed before. Straight and tidy was his uniform.

"Who are you?" Chris managed with a weak croak.

"Now now. Don't talk. I'll do the talking, you rest." He pulled up a chair and sat comfortably in it. Then he leaned forwards and began talking. "My name is John. I'm the company commander of Special Agent Company C. Now you may wonder why a company commander is visiting some wounded Special Agent, I'll get to that later. First of all, you might be wondering what happened after you blacked out." The man took out a water bottle and sipped from it. "Well, after the Larekekks were reinforced, and you blacked out, our Special Agent Force Squad on the space station reached the command center."

Chris was going to ask a question but John stopped him with the point of the finger. "I know that you're probably wondering what the Special Agent Force Squad is and that is what I'm getting to. You need to rest and recuperate. Now, back to what I was saying. The Special Agent Force Squad is a squad of Special Agents that trail Special Agent trainees. This specific squad was specifically dedicated to you. They trailed you when you encountered the first Larekekks. Didn't you think it was weird that the Larekekk with the SBomb didn't try to chase you. That's because the squad took it out. Anyways, they continued to report back, and analyze how you got through each Larekekk. They trailed you and listened on you as you gave the captain orders. Finally, they followed you into the command center. They used mini robot cameras to keep an eye on you in the command center. They also continued to analyze your bio reading from your uniform. Ha! Didn't think they would bug that. Well, they did. Anyways, when you got hit and blacked out while the Larekekks charged through the doors, the squad entered the room and killed the Larekekks. There were too many Larekekks for them to handle all at once so they proceeded to their main objective: to protect the principle, or you. They set up a defensive perimeter around you and fought off wave after wave of Larekekks. The command was immediately alerted the danger of Special Agents falling to the enemy. Three companies were dispatched to your aid. One company made it out, all wounded in an assortment of ways. Three out of the seven Special Agents in the squad fell to the horde. You are an important asset. You're the key."

John paused to let it all sink in. "I came here for one reason. To assess your condition. After you stay here for one week, the doctor will give you clearance to leave for active duty. You will then proceed to your final phase in training. Live combat. If you succeed and pass, you will then be graduated and enter my company. You're a million dollar investment. The military spends forty five percent of its funds on the Special Agent program. One Special Agent usually costs about 1.2 million dollars to train, suit up, and to release into active combat. I hope you understand the depth about this situation. You, you're special." John paused as if he did something wrong. "I'll stop now. In fact, I've said too much. All in all," he leaned forwards and whispered to his ears only, "Y6g48e." John stood up abruptly and walked away.

_What on earth does Y6g48e mean? _Chris pondered as he continued to think about that one comment. His brain chugged continuously, rummaging through his memory to find the answer. _Is it a code? Not this, not that..._ Chris ran through all the different codes, deciphering it and checking the result. Then it hit him. _QWERTYUIOP! In that book that I read when I was little! The keyboard! _He immediately put the now known knowledge to use. Chris imagined a keyboard in his mind. He took the first letter and went up diagonally, then the next and so on. _Y is H, 6 is y, g is b... _Eventually he came up with a phrase. _Hybrid._ _I hate riddles. Well nothing I can do about it now. _And Chris was right, and wrong at the same time.

Chris awoke and saw a doctor smiling unnervingly down at him. "Your clear to leave the hospital! Please follow me." Then without a second glance, began walking to the nearest door. Chris swung his legs out and followed groggily. He rolled his shoulder around. _Finally, no pain. _They entered a door and then came into a room. It was sparsely furnished, only a sad looking couch was at the corner of the room. There was a table next to it with a cup of steaming coffee on it. "Please take a seat." Chris gladly strolled over and plopped onto the couch. He took the warm coffee and cuddled it gingerly in his hands. "Please wait here. There will be someone here to see you shortly." After said, the doctor left, leaving Chris alone in a small white room. Chris sipped some coffee and immediately felt rejuvenated. Its warmth spread through his sleepy limbs, flowing energy waking his brain.

After about three minutes, his coffee cup now cold and empty, the door opened and John walked in. He sat down at the metal chair across from Chris. They sat in silence for several minutes, Chris fidgeting every minute while John simply sat, unmoving. Finally, Chris couldn't hold his curiosity, "So when are we going to start training?" Chris blurted.

John smiled, "Now." He stood up and gestured for Chris to follow him. Chris stood up, set his cup down on the table, and followed John out, back to training.

The next hour was a blur. Chris got on a second generation Eagle, or simply Eagle II. These were troop transport that are the advanced version of the helicopter. It had two turbofans on the side that had the ability to rotate a full circle, allowing the Eagle II to fly straight like a plane and lift off vertically like a helicopter. They could be armed with a variety of weapons, ranging from fifty caliber gatling guns to laser targeting air-to-ground plasma missiles. Half a meter of titanium C provided enough armor to stop armor piercing bullets. It's cargo bay was big enough to hold ten to fifteen soldiers or one infantry tank. Overall, they were called the Eagles because of their ability to drop soldiers behind enemy lines and swiftly leave the drop off zone.

This particular Eagle was armed with four radar tracking air-to-air missiles and a single 20 caliber machine gun manned by a soldier. It was called _The Big Penguin_.  
On board _The Big Penguin_, there were ten other trainees. As the helicopter took off, everybody introduced him/her to everyone.  
"I'm Sam, twenty five years old." said a blond hair person. He had skinny arms and legs attached to a thin body. He had a small toolbox by his leg that bore the symbol of the Special Agent Engineering Wing. "I'm our weapons and explosive specialist. Mostly, you call me Engineer."  
"My name is Lucy, thirty two years old. I'm our medical specialist. If you need me, just yell Doc." She was tall with darkish skin. A small bag marked with the traditional red cross symbol sat beside her.  
Introductions blurred into one another. Fred was the sergeant for their platoon. Sear and Tomas carried the mortar and the bazooka. Daniel was the sharpshooter. Eventually, the microphone on the ceiling crackled and the pilots voice piped through. "ETA is one minute. So everyone buckle up. O yea. FYI, we're gonna be landing hard, so try not to puke." In the end, everyone survived the hard landing. However three of them puked as they disembarked from _The Big Penguin_. John jumped out of the Eagle II and squinted into the blazing sun. Training had already started.  
Three months of training had passed in the blink of an eye. They learned new things such as advanced first aid and advanced martial arts. They finished their single special topic they will specialize at, or became a private. The training allowed the soldiers to bond more closely than ever. Which was expected, for that is what helps soldiers fight together. Then, the day for combat came. They piled in _The Big Penguin_ which was now heavily equipped with a variety of ornaments. Chris and his platoon was ready for war.  
They first flew and docked at the _Flying Cannon_ where they rested while it took them to the front line. Damen was their destination. The aliens were pressing hard on Company F. It was a valuable spot because they guarded the flank of the army. After three days of continuous defense, Company F was in tatters. Fredrick, the general, decided to bring in Companies D, B, and them to organise a counter attack to push the aliens back. Then, the army would be free to advance and crush any remaining opposition.

After ten days, the _Flying Cannon _reached the planet Damen. The platoon suited up as they prepared to descend onto Damen. They put on a thin suit with jungle camouflage patterns adorning it and paddings on the major parts of the body like the chest, legs, and arms. Then, they all put on a helmet which immediately locked in with the suit and booted up its drives. _The Big Penguin_ was fueled and stocked with ammunition as it prepared to transfer soldiers from the _Flying Cannon _onto Damen.

As they neared the planet, Chris could see other ANEF ships rotating about the planet. Most of them had carbon marks on their titanium armor, testimony to recent engagements with the enemy. Some of the ships were even engaged in small skirmishes with enemy ships. He saw a frigate fire a streak of missiles at an alien ship, and later imploding as it was lanced by a plasma beam. There were a variety of ships. A single carrier sat in the middle, releasing swarms of fighters that swerved between the ships. Carriers held strategic importance in the ANEF fleet because of their single ability of launching swarms of fighters that can overrun a ship and support infantry. Two battleships flew at enemy ships, firing its double ship killing railgun or releasing a laser burst. These were the titanium behemoths of the ANEF fleet. Multiple frigates dotted the scene, drifting about, firing missiles, or being fired at and exploding. They were the most common in the ANEF fleet and were tough when together in packs. Overall, the ANEF ships outnumbered the aliens, and the aliens seemed to know that. The number of carbon marks on some of the ships, the result of a laser burst sizzling on titanium, led to the inference of a large recent engagement.

There were several other frigates like the _Flying Cannon _heading toward Damen, presumably to drop off soldiers like the _Flying Cannon. _"Everyone prep up. ETA is five minutes, so just sit tight." There was a collective groan after the announcement ended. Everyone knew that in five minutes, all their joints will be creaking like they were seventy five years old. Although everyone knew that they were nearing war, no one wanted to think about it.

Chris inspected his gun again for the fifth time. He disassembled the gun, inspecting all the parts for any sign of rust or dust. He then assembled the gun and turned the safety on. Satisfied, he leaned back and relaxed. Five minutes passed quickly. Before he knew it, the loud speaker crackled again. "Everyone move into your designated launcher. We'll be launching in one minute. I repeat. We'll be launching in one minute."

Chris and the rest of his platoon stood up in unison and tromped over towards _The Big Penguin_. Everyone sat down at a seat while Paul, a Special Agent private, manned the thirty caliber gatling gun. "Everybody suited up?" the pilot's voice crackled through the loudspeaker. Everyone replied with a thumbs up. "This is _The Big Penguin_. Requesting permission to launch."

"The Big Penguin. You have permission to launch. Refer to Delta five for weather. Take route Charlie six-two. I repeat. Take route Charlie six-two. You are clear for launch."

"Roger that. The Big Penguin launching."

The pilot began flipping switches on the ceiling and pressing buttons around the cockpit. Chris heard the whirring of the twin turbofans begin and gain definition. Suddenly, the wall in front of them begin to slide open. It revealed to them a pitch dark space, dotted with shining stars. There were small ships, darting about the picture. Then, Chris felt a shudder through the floor and saw the walls disappearing replaced by a film of space. "ETA is two minutes." crackled the pilot as the helicopter shot forward toward the planet of Damen.

Damen was similar to Earth except the fact that most of the planet was land. Greenish forests covered the planet's surface while the occasional lake popped out like balloons. It was a beautiful planet if it weren't for the war happening on it. As they neared the planet, evidence of conflicts begin to show up. Patches of brown or black dotted the green landscape. There were patches of grey were buildings rose up to the sky. Tiny dots floated on the small lakes, exploding before his eyes. Then they hit the atmosphere and went through.

The sounds exploded into his ears. He could see multiple other hovercrafts like _The Big Penguin_ descending onto the planet's surface. They were loaded with soldiers who were all wearing army fatigues like Chris. Gunfire erupted from one as the gunner spotted a target. Then another. Then another until Paul began gunning the gatling gun. The sound was deafening, as if the sounds themselves could tear apart the enemy. He could spot patches of forestry torn to nothing and aliens reduced to pink mist under the hail of bullets. "Everyone get ready to unload!" Fred yelled, gesturing toward the rapidly nearing ground. Chris could see other ANEF soldiers spread in one line engaging the aliens.

"Enemy paratroopers must have got in the perimeter. I don't think thats so good." Paul whispered. Everybody stood up and crouched, preparing to jump off the helicopter. They waited. One. Two. Thr-. "GO! GO! GO!" Fred yelled pushing the first off and waving his arms to the next. Everyone filed off the helicopter, jumping down to the green grass below. The grass was flattened by the twin turbofans as _The Big Penguin _lifted up due to its lightened load. As Fred leaped off _The Big Penguin_, it took off, shooting up into the greyish sky. "Let's go soldiers. That way." Fred said and led them off to war.

"Move it!" Fred screamed as a plasma mortar exploded to the right. The bombardment had started once the fleet of Eagle IIs had unloaded the soldiers. Gunfire erupted to the right, spreading all along the line of soldiers as they neared the enemy. "Get down NOW!" Everybody dropped to the floor. Multiple plasma bolts flew overhead, impacting the unlucky soldiers behind them. Chris took off his gun and loaded it. "See that treeline over there," Fred pointed forwards toward the thick forest, "That's our objective. Once we get there, we'll meet with a company of soldiers. Each person will take one platoon. Got it?"

"YESSIR!"  
"Then MOVE!"  
Everybody stood up and charged for the treeline. Chris saw a Larekekk pop up on the right to disappear into pink mist as someone marked it with a shotgun. Chris fired a shot at another peeping Larekekk and continued running. When they were about fifty meters away from the tree line, three Sorminars came swooping over. "Evasive action!" Everybody fanned out as the Sorminars begin cycling through their plasma bolts.  
Sorminars are the aliens fighters in the Seminar army. Aerodynamic grooves help make these fighters agile and fast. Two plasma guns hanging from the side shoot five bolts a second, ferocious against both infantry and armor. Able to fly through space, they prove themselves worthy from fighting ANEF fighters to ANEF infantry. Also capable of carrying two plasma missiles, they are the backbone in the Seminar Airforce.  
Everyone nimbly dodged the plasma bolts struck the ground as the three Sorminars passed over. As everyone continued sprinting for the treeline, Sear and Tomas turned around, each shouldering a LTM, Laser Tracking Puncher. These track the target, and then simply punch through it, exploding when the fuel runs empty. They aimed and fired, sending two plumes of smoke, rapidly closing onto the three Seminars. Three explosions ensued and Sear and Tomas turned around to join the others.  
Under the cover of the trees, the platoon was holding a mission briefing. Fred was talking. "Previous drone imagery shows a bit of the terrain. However, because of the strong enemy presence, our intelligence hasn't been able to infiltrate the enemy. I am currently sending all of you a map made up of all the drone images that we have scraped together. On each image, there is a red dot showing your objective." He paused for a minute to allow everyone to check the map.

Chris chinned a blinking mail sign on the edge of his helmet display. A map promptly opened up, expanding until the whole display was occupied. He saw a red dot positioned on a chain of small hills. According to the map, the objective was about a mile's hike away from his current position. They would have to walk through a dense jungle, then run through an open plain to reach the objective. On the top of the display, there were two cliffs with a small opening in the middle.

"This is the trench, this long blinking blue line." A blinking blue line stretched from one end of the display to the other, cutting through the dense forest. "These blinking blue lines represent our forces." Multiple flashing blue lines appeared, all spread along the trench. However, there was a bulge in the line that poked up towards the rolling hills. The number of forces gradually increased from side to middle until there were seven companies of soldiers at the tip of the bulge. "The red lines are the enemy forces to the best of our knowledge." Red lines appeared all over the top of the map. They were mostly concentrated at two points. At the space between the two cliffs and right before their current position. "Our mission objective is part of the plan codenamed FIREBREATHER. Here is the plan simulated." The blue lines began to move in an upward fashion. The right flank, reinforced with three new companies began sweeping upwards, obliterating the red lines in their way. The left mirrored the action. Eventually, the whole blue line moved forwards until the entire army was concentrated at the tiny gap between the two cliffs. Finally, the army broke through and charged into the gap. "Everyone clear on your part?"

"Yessir!"

"You've got twenty minutes to complete the mission, on my mark." Everyone chinned a control in their helmet display, opening up a digital watch. "Mark." Everyone started off the countdown, sending numbers moving down in a spiral manner.

"Good, then move out!"

Chris chinned the control again, and the display disappeared replaced by the lush vegetation of the jungle. Everyone stood up and began to jog towards their designated platoon. Chris jogged to the platoon on his left, the Company BE-1 platoon. "Everyone know what to do?" They nodded grimly and gripped they're weapons. "Ok then, let's go." Chris set off at an easy job towards their target. He chinned the control so a mini map appeared on the down right corner of his display. Various dots represented the soldiers and identified all of them as friendlies.

After about five minutes of jogging, the mini map warned Chris that the jungle was about to end. He could already begin to hear the sounds of fighting. There was the chatter of gunfire, the explosions, and the screaming of soldiers. He signaled a halt. Chris turned around and looked at every single soldier square in the eye. They were grim and determined, veteran, unlike the new soldiers with doubt and fear in their shadow. "Good, here we go. All or nothing." Chris turned around and sprinted out of the forest.

War. Its deathly shadow encroached everyone present. The smells, the sounds, the feel. It attacked Chris from all directions, stabbing and prodding for any signs of weakness. Chris resisted, armed with all the training and all the experience he had.

There was a small stretch of open space before the trench cut through it like a knife in butter. The ground was pockmarked with craters, evidence of recent explosions. Soldiers were all about the trench, manning a variety of weapons. Machine guns, bazookas, flamethrowers, rifles, and grenades hurled out a wave of death that met the charging aliens. Nevertheless, they were taking gradually casualties, bodies of the dead lay everywhere, unattended. It was a pitiful sight. An assortment of aliens were charging in waves, as if they were planning to break the trench simply by the number of bodies they throw into the fray.

The Seminar army was composed of a variety of aliens. As they emerge victorious from each military conquest, they would 'absorb' the enemy, incorporating it into it's own army. There were Larekekks, charging while shooting darts. Hakk'aars spurred on groups of aliens, waving their energy swords in the air. Damen'aans, the local aliens, hefted big energy shields, charging forwards while hiding behind them. Frem'deevs dominated the battlefield, mostly used as cannon fodder. At the back of the battle, far away from the flying bullets and plasma, was a single alien surrounded by a honor guard. It was the leader, the Shamemae'.

Chris runned and jumped into the trench. He landed splat in mud, between two soldiers. Since they were busy fighting the waves of aliens, they didn't bother to look. The rest of the platoon followed his lead and jumped into the trench. Chris chinned a control, opening a private comm with all the members of the platoon. "Stay here and help fight off the enemy. I'm gonna consult with the other guys." Without waiting for a reply, Chris closed the comm and opened a new one with the other Special Agents.

"Hello everyone, hope I'm not intruding."

"Just hurry up and finish." There was crackle of gunfire and an explosion. "Kinda busy here!" yelled Paul.

"So, throwing a party without me?" Fred said.

"No sir. Just waiting for you to arrive."

"Good. So what's this all about."

"Just wanted to see what everyone's gonna do sir. Then we might be able to add some coordination in sir."

"Taking control of everything?"

"No sir. Just planning for you to d-"

"HURRY UP! If you haven't noticed, I'm have no time for chit-chat!" yelled Paul as another explosion sent static invading his comm. It came back with Paul yelling "Fall back! Fall back!" A spurt of machine gun fire silenced his comm.

"Paul? Paul, do you copy?"

"Who's nearest to Paul." asked Fred.

"I see him sir. He's leading the soldiers back," said Daniel. "I got them in my sights. Wait... I see something. Hold on. Yea! There's a column of tanks! I repeat! I see a column of alien tanks heading toward the western line." Sounds of detonations sounded through the comm.

"Okay everyone. Everyone on the eastern line, I want you to wipe those pathetic aliens off the face of Earth. Wait. Off the face of Damen. Everyone on the western line, prepare to cycle to the west. We're gonna trap those tanks so air support can get them, got it?"

"Yessir!"

"Okay, I'll be on the western flank. Everyone on the eastern flank, uhhh, follow Chris. Chris?"

"Yes sir?"

"You're in charge for right now. Lead them straight and good."

"Yessir."

"DEPLOY!"

"You heard them everyone," said Chris, "Let's go!"

Chris shut the comm and gestured to his platoon. "Let's do it the old way ladies!"

He leaped out of the trench and shot a Frem'deev right in the face. "CHARGE!" The other Special Agents, seeing Chris' action, followed suit. Eventually, the whole eastern line was charging en masse.

Chris fired three bursts into a Frem'deev then stabbed a Hakk'aar in the gut, following with an elbow to the helmet. He was actually enjoying it, along with the other Special Agents. The soldiers followed eagerly like dogs lapping after their master. A Larekekk attempted to stop him, but Chris simply shot it and shoved past. Everything was proceeding as planned. The eastern line was advancing, slowly swing clockwise to encircle the tanks. On the other side, the western line was circling counterclockwise, planning to join up with the eastern's advance.

In the midst of fighting, Chris just barely noticed, but he did. They were nearing the hills now, when he saw a single plasma emplacement get pushed to the top of the hill. He could see lines of Damen'aans overlapping their energy shields to form an impassable barrier. Mortars and machine guns moved into place behind them. Frem'deevs waited behind the wall, ready to fire at moments notice. Their objective wasn't going to be easy. A tinge of bright red caught his attention. A single Shamemae' stood on the tallest hill, coordinating the defense. _This is bad._

As they neared the hills, the enemy suddenly ran, leaving the soldiers completely alone in the plain. And then it hit him. It was all a trap.

A wave of death smashed into the ragged ranks of the soldiers. It battered through the ranks, moral dropped instantly like a rock. Soldiers fell as their light armor melted under the mass barrage of plasma. A wave of people surged backwards in a desperate attempt in escaping. Multiple explosions greeted them as the mortars targeted the fleeing soldiers. Chris pressed himself flat to the ground in an attempt to cover himself. He spotted a mound in the chaos and slowly began crawling to it. The screams of the wounded surrounded him, and the whiz of the plasma engulfed him. Once he reached the mound, he quickly opened up a comm with all the other Special Agents. "Everybody okay?"

"Yea," said Daniel as he fired three shots, "I got one platoon of men untouched. Lucky pass. I can see you guys. Getting pounded pretty hard."

"Yup, hiding behind some dead guys here," yelled Paul over the din, "I estimate an about seventy percent casualty rate. Pretty much wiped out."

"Ditto." said Chris. "Anyone tell Fred?"

"Yea," entered Sam, "He said he's occupied too. Apparently the tank column turned halfway and smashed into his flank. Now they're playing hide and seek. But, he did mention something about Company D."

"Now that you mention it, we only got Company B! Where on earth is Company D!" yelled Chris.

"This is Henry, commander of Company D, hailing any ANE units." crackled over the comm suddenly.

Chris immediately replied. "Chris to Henry, Chris to Henry. Hail acknowledged, this is Chris, temporary commander of the eastern eastern line."

"Henry to Chris, acknowledged. I see you guys. Watch for above."

Suddenly, he heard a loud droning sound coming from above. The gunfire receded as everyone looked up. What they saw made the humans joyful and the aliens fearful. The sky was filled with countless Eagle IIs, all packed with soldiers and descending as one. As one, they opened up, peppering the aliens with bullets. The energy shields failed under the combined barrage and the aliens reduced to nothing. Then a streak of plasma shot from the hills, exploding into one Eagle II, sending it plummeting to its death. Then another, then another. Eagles began firing missiles at the hills, sending plumes of smoke and dirt reaching for the sky. Missiles and plasma criss crossed the sky, exploding upon their targets.

Soldiers began to drop from the nearest Eagles, forming into platoons and forging onto the hills. Chris stood up triumphantly, brandishing his Black Barret as if it were a gleaming sword , yelled through the comms, "Soldiers of Company B, join with our comrades and bring back victory!" With a roar that would have shocked even Zeus, the survivors clambered up and charged towards the hills. It was like the first time, except this time, they were going to win.

The aliens were in a frantic retreat. After a brief fight for the hills, the aliens were pushed back and the soldiers were declared victorious. Reports had come in that the column of tanks were demolished by air support and the western line was now joined with the eastern line in the forward momentum. Now, Operation FIREBREATHER was in the last stage, the gap in the cliffs.  
No sooner had the soldiers got a pat on the back, they were thrown back into battle. The aliens had fortified the gap, stopping the huge ANE army right in its track. Machine gun emplacements chewed soldiers up. Tanks were demolished by Sorminars and artillery hiding on the cliffs. Soldiers were bogged down as they tried to force their way through the stout resistance. What tipped the scale down to the defenders favor was the fact that there was a small town right at the gap. It was old, crumbling houses made of bricks and fallen metal beams made it treacherous to attack yet a perfect bulwark for the aliens. The soldiers fought for every block, firefights erupted viciously, often lasting to several hours. The fleet wasn't able to do much because they were occupied too. The alien fleet had lashed out with an ambush, then swarmed into the gap. Now, the planet was surrounded by countless ships, all firing at each other, every ship for itself. Chris learned all of this from a brief overview from Fred. Now, he was stuck at an intersection, hiding behind the wreckage of a tank.  
A plasma struck the burning wreckage, making it emit a low moan. Chris cursed under his breath as he felt the tank shift again. The rest of the platoon reflected his low spirits. After taking heavy losses, they were given no recuperation, yet they were instead thrown right into their worst nightmare again. Someone peeked out and immediately ducked as three plasma bolts whizzed over his head. They have been stuck at this stupid intersection for three hours.

Originally, a company of marines had broke through the stiff defense and reached this intersection. But, the over ambitious captain thought he could repeat the lucky maneuver, which ended up killing a majority of his men. By the time Chris had arrived, there was nothing left to salvage. Two hours of fierce fighting allowed them to keep the intersection, barely. For the last hour, they have been waiting for reinforcements, biding their time as they waited.

Suddenly, his comm crackled, "Whassup Chris, incoming right behind. ETA one minute." Chris looked back and saw a tiny dot along the horizon, and then more moving dots behind it.

"Got ya in my sights Paul. Late enough as you are. As usual."

"Anyways, we got air support heading in from three o'clock, light fighter bombers. They're gonna hit the two buildings at precisely 0320, which is one minute from now. We're supposed follow up afterwards and forge ahead again. Here, I'm sending you a data packet with all the info you'll need. Just skim through it cause we ain't got the time."Stream data packet, encryption green, firing. "We're arriving, I see you, hiding behind the tank like a little cat eh."

"Better take cover, I got some annoying Fremmies manning a stupid big gun. Got your data packet. Skimming right now."

A resounding boom sounded as the plasma gun roared. A plume of dirt flew like a geyser and a soldier went flying with it. The men, Chris could see them more clearly, began fanning out in hopes of evading the big shots. Plasma began flying over the tank, and it started another firefight. It started as a small wave, it built up until it pierced his ear drums. Soldiers were firing away at the aliens, lobbing grenades. The sound of small arms was quashed for a second as the plasma gun roared again.

"What the heck! I'ma take the route on the side, we got forty seconds till the strike hits. Get your soldiers ready cause that zone's gonna get hot really soon!"

Chris yelled at the remains of the company next to him, one by one, they turned about to look at him. Since Chris liked communicating verbally with his soldiers, as his instructor had always said, "Verbal exchange builds bonds, use it whenever you don't need to use the comm."

"Okay everyone! We've got an airstrike coming in thirty seconds. Once they hit, I want us up and running, got that?"  
"Yessir!"  
Chris looked to the sky for any signs of the incoming aircraft. It was a luxury to have air support since they were mostly preoccupied with fighting for supremacy with the Sorminars. Then, he saw four dots far away, rapidly closing in on their position. They grew in definition and Chris could confirm his suspicions. An explosion ripped through the air as an aircraft was pummeled with plasma. The other three planes dropped down just enough to release their payloads and before taking to the sky. Eight plumes of smoke trailed from their wings, bearing onto the buildings across from Chris. A deafening explosion rocked the ground. Chris and the other soldiers were thrown onto the ground from the shockwave. The raining dust covered Chris like volcano ash. _Must have been a grade-B land missile. Darn those things are powerful._

Chris shook it off, and led the soldiers around the tank wreckage. There were eight massive craters that that destroyed the scene. The two buildings were reduced to ruins, with piles of orange brick strewn everywhere. A fine layer of dust settled everywhere, glinting in the sun, giving the scene a lightish color. Several Frem'deevs lay broken on the ground, barely recognizable. Their purple blood stood out like black on white. The plasma gun lay broken on the ground, unattended. Chris thought it was over, that is until a the soldier to his left lost his leg to a plasma burst. It was as if everything was holding still and then released when the plasma was fired. Chaos ensued. Chris jumped for cover as plasma criss crossed the air. His soldiers were yelling and screaming and shooting as they desperately sought out the hiding aliens. They were caught in a crossfire. Chris traced one shot back behind a semi broken wall. He lobbed a grenade over it and was promptly rewarded with a running alien. It was taken down by a hail of bullets as half a dozen men targeted the now easy alien. _Shoot! Must have had reinforcements behind the buildings. _He called up a comm with Paul.

"Paul, where the heck are you! We're stuck in a cross fire! Get the heck over here!"

An explosion sounded through the comm. "I'm stuck too! I got a dozen stupid tanks over here messing my men up! Don't worry, cavalry's on the way. Got tanks going your way along with a whole platoon of Special Agents."

"Darn, gotcha ya!"

_A whole platoon of Special Agents, Fredrick must really want this battle to end. Tanks and Special Agents are definitely a treat. _He fired a burst at a running Frem'deev, and ducked as another targeted him. Chris looked over carefully. There were two suspicious piles of bricks to his right, about thirty meters away and a broken mud hut to his left. Chris decided to run to the hut and from there he could fire upon everyone. Chris gathered his legs and ran. He pumped his arms up and down, as his instructor told him. A plasma bolt passed ahead of him, prompting him to roll in hopes of evading another. When he was five meters away from the hut, he jumped, waving his arms as if he were swimming in the air, and landed right onto the hard dirt floor in the hut. He turned around and put his back to the wall. Flashes of plasma whisked through the tiny structure, but they gradually stopped as the aliens lost interest. Chris turned about, targeting the two piles of bricks he had spotted earlier. He was immediately rewarded with the sight of two Frem'deevs hiding behind the first one and one Frem'deev and a Hakk'aar behind the second one. Chris turned back, assessed the situation, and prepared for action.

What saved his life would be the fact that he stumbled to reach his flash bang, otherwise, he would be out shooting at the enemy already. A splintering explosion blossomed right before Chris as the hut was targeted by an alien tank. Chris was caught in the full fury of the blast, sending him hurtling away, but his full body armor stopped the most lethal splinters from killing him. If he were shooting at the aliens, the plasma would have vaporized him, completely melting through the armor and human alike. Now laying in an another abandoned structure, Chris was safe for the second. However he was angry. _I have had enough of the stupid, playing around with me business! No one plays around with a Special Agent!_ Chris, enveloped in all his fury, loaded all his weapons. He put his gun on full auto and attached a mini grenade launcher to the tip. A bayonet then went on top of that, just for short range. Chris loaded his pistol and readied a grenade for instant use. Chris was ready for war.

Fury drove him to run straight out into the hell storm. His soldiers were being pinned down by the sudden surge of aliens. Chris spotted the tank and targeted it with his grenade launcher. The tank was brownish color, with a single black barrel. It bore a tiny resemblance to the ANE tanks besides the fact that it's rider was exposed. It had it's own energy shield and it moved around on strong electromagnets. There was a simple rectangular steel chassis with a seat in the middle, but that was about it. It was the fearsome Hardam.

A stream of smoke erupted from the mini launcher as Chris fired the grenade. He then deftly loaded another and sent it flying towards the tank. Three grenades landed in succession, exploding against the tank's energy shield. The fourth grenade passed straight through the flickering shields, exploded inside, killing the controller and messing up the controls. Chris sprayed his gun on full auto at the aliens. Thousands of bullets struck home, slicing through the ranks of the aliens. As his gun ejected empty, Chris deftly reloaded it and continued firing. Aliens danced in the air as their bodies were riddled with bullets. A plasma flashed next to Chris, reminding him that he still wasn't invincible.

He rolled and dodged the incoming plasma, and switched to his pistol when his gun ran out. By then, there were only several platoons of aliens left. Most of them were engaged with his soldiers and Paul's, which appeared several minutes later to the rescue. Chris ran face to face into a Frem'deev. They were strange creatures, coming from the planet of Frem. They had no eyes or noses. Their head was a small grey ball with two ears on the front, like our nose. They relied completely on their sense of hearing, like bats, and the Hakk'aars, and of course their suit. They would emit soundless shouts which would come back into their ears. However, they still could "hear" all different kinds of sound waves, which makes up for their lack of vision. For example, if someone shot a gun, even muffled, Frem'deevs would "hear" the sound waves emitted from the explosion. Basically, they looked like Voldemort, from Harry Potter, without eyes and ears. They wore a flexible suit that allowed them to breathe in oxygen and water from their pores. The suit is lightly armored, allowing large amounts of movement. Frem'deevs were the perfect choice of cannon fodder simply because they only live thirty years when they become an adult. Five years of growing and then thirty years of fighting. _Since they multiply in hundreds, they are really annoying cause you take out a swarm and they send a wave at you. _Chris blasted its head off with a shot from his pistol.

Pulling his dagger out in anticipation of when his pistol ran out of ammo, Chris was prompted to crouch and wait for the next alien to engage. A Hakk'aar, seeing the lone soldier as a perfect opportunity, charged Chris with a raised energy blade. Chris heard the hum of the blade and saw the charging Hakk'aar, and smiled. Its brown, furry face was contorted in a sneer, blue eyes sparkling in the thick hair. It bared its teeth, sharp canines protruding from its mouth. It wore a simple set of body armor, steel chest plate, leggings, and arm protection. Chris dodged the Hakk'aar's clumsy swing and swept its legs under him. He then proceeded to leap onto the Hakk'aar and point the muzzle straight at its face. The black hole of the muzzle was the last thing it saw.

Pulling away, Chris surveyed the scene. The aliens were in a rapid retreat with his soldiers nipping at their tails. _Why are they running? They definitely don't run just because I have a single Hakk'aar down on the floor with no head._ Chris was even more confuzzled when he looked to the left and right and saw the same situation. All along the front, the aliens were in rapid retreat. _This is getting weirder and weirder. _Chris stood there as everything began to unfold. _Unless, unless its a trap! Like last time! _This realization hit Chris to the core. _SHOOT! _A sudden shadow covered the town. Everything went dark, as if night just appeared in the middle of the day. Chris looked up to see the huge underside of an alien carrier ship. It had descended onto the planet and was now hovering right above the ground. In fact, it was so close that Chris could make out the small detail along the ship's hull. He could see the small turrets, the holes for missiles, the big caves for launching small aircraft, and the big long tubes of the fearsome plasma beam. Then one of the bigger turrets swiveled and released a pulse of laser onto the ground. Men screamed as lasers impacted, exploding everywhere. Chris ducked, just in time to see a tank disintegrate into a million pieces. Paul appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Chris into a building. Explosions cried and men screamed. _I hate those stupid aliens, always playing the same game. _

Gradually, the screaming receded replaced by the guttural yells of the Hakk'aars. Paul cautiously peeked out, down the street, and saw a disorganised mass of aliens heading their way. They were kicking and snickering at the prone figures that lay strewn across the street. Chris saw Paul tense in anger and immediately reached to grab him before he revealed their position. "Calm down for heaven's sake, it's two of us versus like a million of them plus a huge carrier!" Chris whispered harshly inches away from his face. "You reveal our position like that, they won't even bother to engage, they'll just tell the carrier to blow the poop out of us! We'll be vaporised!" Chris glared into Paul's brown eyes. They was no fear, just boiling anger, but gradually, it diminished replaced by a calm look of a Special Agent. Chris released him and rubbed his weapon. "What the heck are we gonna do now? Unless we hide somewhere besides this wasteland," Chris gestured outside to the piles of bodies and shattered brick. "We're as good as dead meat." With a sense of defeat, Chris sat down and to his surprise, the floor sounded hollow!

"Was that what I think it was?" Paul asked, pointing to the ground where Chris was sitting.

Chris didn't bother to reply, and immediately began brushing at the spot where he was sitting. Paul peeked out again. "Hurry up, we got like two minutes before they reach here!"

Chris continued until he uncovered a wooden trapdoor. He lifted it up and was immediately rewarded with the soft sound of flowing water. Closer examination revealed it to be a long tunnel, stretching several meters before being swallowed by the darkness. Chris guessed it was the sewer system. It was a godsend. Paul, seeing the new discovery, came over without invitation. A smile spread across his pale face when he saw the sewer. "Never before have I been so happy to see the sewers. But we got no time to waste, we got like one minute before they get here."  
"Yup. I was planning to use a miniature version of the standing home so when we close the trap door, it'll be covered."  
"Great idea!"  
They immediately set to work. Chris retrieved several sticks near them while Paul collected an array of rocks. Chris then stacked the sticks so that when the door would shut, the sticks would collapse onto the trapdoor. Paul then proceeded to place the rocks atop the sticks. It was done. Chris nimble jumped into the hole, landing silently on the bottom. He then pulled out an emergency flashlight with ten hours battery, and a solar panel to charge it with. It lit up the tunnel for ten meters, showing nothing unexpected. Just other tunnels intersecting with this one. _Probably chanced upon a major sewer tunnel. _Paul joined him shortly, closing the trap door behind him and finishing the tunnel. "Wow, big tunnel." exclaimed Paul as he felt the rough dirt wall.  
"Yeah, I guess we probably landed in a big sewer. You see that one, over there," Chris said, pointing to the front right hand side. There was a small black hole, about two feet tall and wide. "That's a small one, we wouldn't have fit in that one for sure."  
"So what now?"  
"I guess we get our way out of the city and hopefully hail an extraction. Or, we could wait it out. I got supplies for ten days and so do you. If we ration it, we could go on for twenty days."  
"Sure, no problem."  
Chris pulled out a map and aligned it with his compass. "I reckon we're about here, in the middle of the city. Remember, you see this tower over here? I saw that on the way over. Anyways, if we head straight down that way," Chris pointed with his flashlight. "It should bring us out into the jungle, somewhere here. From there, we can decide."  
"Okee dokee. Let's go."  
They both set off, Chris in front while Paul watched the back. After an hour of trekking through the tunnel, they came to an intersection. The tunnel split into two, each branching off into a different direction. Chris pulled out his map and compass while Paul took a bite out of his protein bar. "This way," confirmed Chris and they set off again.  
While they were walking, the roof of the tunnel began dripping water, forcing them to stop and put on rain covers to prevent their supplies from being spoiled. "Probably raining, darn that rain. Always hated it, especially during training." They shared a little chuckle as they thought back to the old times. But then, Paul thought of something. "You know, in history class, we learned about how people in the past used sewers."  
"Yea.."  
"Well, isn't, when they rain, I mean I don't entirely remember, but, when they rain, don't the sewers flood, because they need to clean the sewers so they use the rainwater to do it."  
Paul let Chris ponder on that thought for a while.  
"That, would, not be good. At all."  
"Yup." Paul said solemnly.  
"Let's move."  
They forged on with new rigor, speed walking with the thought of being flushed along the sewer behind them. After twenty minutes of walking, Chris stopped. "Did you feel that?"  
"No. Feel what?"  
"I thought I felt a slight tremor in the tunnel."  
They both stopped and stayed still, feeling for anything.  
"I don-" A massive tremor shook the tunnel, making Chris sway off balance. They looked at each other, eye to eye. Without another word, they both set off running, at full flight, down the tunnel. The tremors were constant now, also accompanied by the sloshing of water. Chris turned slightly to see a wall of water disappear around a bend.  
"Faster!" Chris screamed, and they burst off with renewed speed. The walls trembled and the roar of water enveloped them. As they rounded a corner, Chris spotted a rusty metal ladder that lead up. He immediately inferred that it was probably for sewer maintenance and thought it was the perfect escape. Paul seemed to have reached the same conclusion for once reaching the ladders, he leaped nimbly onto the ladders, climbing swiftly to make room for Chris. Chris jumped up, just in time for the water to engulf the tunnel, showing a rough mirror of water where the tunnel used to be.

"Let's go." sighed Chris, his fatigue finally catching up with him after the adrenaline passed. Paul reached the trap door and pushed cautiously. He peeked out, and confident of the privacy, widened the gap and slipped out. Chris followed and emerged into a shabby building. It resembled a type of church, with broken clay seats arranged in two rows with an aisle between. There was a stage at the front with stairs leading up on both sides. This time, the paucity of windows worked to their favor, reducing the chances of them being seen. The rough brown ground was strewn with orange brick. Paul was standing beside a window without glass, glancing out for any sign of enemy presence. "Clear." he said.

Chris went to the other side and repeated the action. He saw other small broken brick houses outlined in the light drizzle. There was no sign of enemy or friendly activity in the visible region."Clear." Paul visibly relaxed as he risked a dim smile.

"Not bad, making it this far eh?"

"Yea, lets rest for a bit before going on. I reckon its about five pm International Space Time. Dark will probably be like, seven to nine pm IST, so that gives us like two hours. Should be enough time to get out into the jungle and call for evac." He pulled out a map and a protein bar. After taking a sip of water and a bite of the bar, he continued, "I guess we're like here based on the path we took and some stuff I saw just now."

"Wait, shouldn't we rest first and then use the cover of darkness to travel to the jungle unnoticed, plus, we still got our night vision goggles."

"I suppose that would work, but wouldn't it be harder for the eagle to extract us in the dark? No visual confirmation?"

"Well, can't them zone in on us if we were using comms? We could also like set up a beacon that they can use as a marker. Eh?"

Chris pondered on that suggestion for a while before reaching a conclusion. "Sure, we'll go with your idea. We'll take a short nap, one hour each, then we'll move out once its dark."

"Okay, I'll take first watch."

"Sure."

"Night night." Paul joked sarcastically. Chris smirked at him before finding a good spot and laying down. He closed his eyes and before long, fell asleep.

After what seemed like a second of sleep, Chris was awoken by someone shaking him. Polished by years of training, he opened his eyes immediately and surveyed his surroundings. The first thing he saw was Paul with a weary smile on his face, reminding him of his current situation. "My turn to catch some z's, your turn to stand watch."

"Yep." Chris said reluctantly. He shrugged off his fatigue and stood up. It was pitch dark so he attached his night vision goggles to his helmet. It replaced the darkness with an eerie green scene. He could see the building next door in a vague definition. "Okay, all set up. Go to sleep." Chris looked around for a suitable sitting spot. He eventually vouched for an inviting remains of a chair. Chris gingerly sat on it, assured himself that it wouldn't fall and then put his gun in easy reach. He then sat silently and listened to the night.

Meanwhile, his mind whirred. _I wonder if there are any survivors out there. Especially the other Special Agents, they're indispensable. And, how on earth did the carrier get down here? Unless something bad happened in space. Unless we lost in space. If we lost in space, that is really bad. We would call for evac and all we would get is enemy coming upon us. Ah, whatever, we came so far already. _However, the doubt would nag and accompany him throughout the rest of the journey. Chris looked at Paul. _Such a young soldier like all of us. Trained up from eight years. All our lives, bred for war like dogs. _He steeled his emotions as logic took over. _This is our lives, we are serving and fighting for the better part of the human dream, the dream of survival, the dream of life. _

A sudden sound made Chris grab his gun and jump up lightly. He glided silently across the floor to the nearest window, conscious of the fact that any noise could alert a listening Frem'deev. Nearing the window, he stopped and listened for sounds of movement. Apart from the slight whistle of the wind, the night was silent. Chris then cautiously, ever so slowly, poked his head out and peeked out. _Same old buildings, good, good, all the same, oh shoot. _He stopped in mid turn, holding his head as still as possible, trying to act inconspicuous and hopefully blend into the night. Chris had saw a massive alien leading several Damen'aans, about ten Frem'deevs, and one Hakk'aar. It was huge with heavy green armor that glowed dimly in the night. It's face was covered by a faceplate and basically its whole body was covered in some type of retrieved his head and proceeded to wake up Paul.

Every Special Agent was taught a different way to wake up another. If one were sleeping and there was an emergency, if you woke up with a lot of noise, you could kill yourself. That's why, the Special Agents developed a code for everyone to use when waking another up. This code would let the other know if it's safe or not safe. Poking is not safe while shaking is safe.

Chris used his index finger and softly poked Paul several times. Paul slowly opened his eyes, silently got up with his gun in hand. Chris, using hand symbols, told Paul that there were a group of aliens about thirty feet away from this building. Paul acknowledged with a slight, almost imperceptible nod. Paul neared the window and peered out for himself. Then, he picked his way slowly back to Chris.

"What should we do now?" Paul asked with hand movements.

"Here, how about this. I stay here and you try to get behind them. Then, I'll shoot and then you shoot and then we take them out. Okay?"

"Sure."

Paul immediately set out, leaping out the window on the other side and disappearing into the night. Chris moved, once again, back to the window and prepared for that moment of attack. He checked and double checked his gun, made sure his knife was easily accessible, went over the drills he took, and steeled himself for the shock, if they were any. After about a minute, Chris counted ten seconds and then aimed out the window and fired. The result was instantaneous. Chris emptied a full clip on automatic at the group of aliens. The Damen'aans faltered before ducking behind their shields, the Frem'deevs went down as they recieved the brunt of the damage, while the big unknown alien just stood there, in the midst of destruction with bullets bouncing harmlessly off his armor. "Shoot." said Chris to no one in particular. He unloaded a second clip into the giant to no effect. As Chris prepared to pull out a grenade, the hulking alien pulled out a massive gun the size of a pig. It pointed it at Chris as it glowed green. Chris dived to the side as the building was decimated by a plasma beam. _Its like a mini version of the plasma beams equipped on the ships! What on earth is this alien! Must be new otherwise, we would be briefed! Darn it! _Chris rolled as the other aliens, bolstered by this new procession, fired at him. _Paul, you better start shooting now or I'm dead cow meat! _Chris pulled the pin, counted to five and hurled it at the massive alien. It exploded in a brilliant flash of light, blinding his night vision goggles for five seconds before it reset. When the explosion diminished, the giant was still standing, unharmed, but apparently angry as it bellowed a challenge and turned the gun at him once again.

At that very moment, Paul chose to announce his position. The Frem'deevs and Damen'aans fell as bullets riddled their bodies from behind. The remaining alien fired another shot at Chris, which he barely dodged, before turning to this new target. Chris racked his brain for a way to defeat it, knowing that their life or death depended on it. And then he knew. It came instinctively. Without knowing it, Chris made his first access to Sapience, the alien Fleetnet or military blog. He accessed all information regarding this new information, filtered the information to collect what he needed, and then analyzed the remaining data to come up with a solution. Elapsed time, five seconds. With the newfound knowledge, Chris realized that the massive alien was called Gartan'haee, a new alien race just incorporated into the Seminar Army as it finished its conquest of that race. They were alien tanks, armored with titanium armor and hardened rubber coated with protective coverings for flexible joints. The Gartan'haee had only one weakness, close combat. Normally, they would be protected by a group of aliens, which would help protect it during close combat as it sniped off humans. Although weak, they were still formidable because of their strength. Chris would have to use his knife to scrape off the covering from one of the flexible joints and then fire a gun at point blank range to penetrate it.

Armed with this realization, Chris sprinted forwards, knife and gun in hand, speeding for the Gartan'haee. When he was about arm's length away from the Gartan'haee, it spun around with surprising speed and whacked Chris right in the stomach. Chris flew ten feet before hitting the ground and eventually, sliding to a halt at a wall. He cradled his stomach as it screamed pain. From experience, Chris knew that he had suffered some major wounds to his internal organs and he was suffering from shock. He could see Paul engaging the Gartan'haee, nimbly dodging the plasma beams. Chris got up, grunting every time he felt pain flare in his stomach. Chris pulled out a grenade and pulled the pin. He ran, holding the pain, at the Gartan'haee, leaped up, just barely dodging another swipe, and fired a single round in the neck before wedging a grenade between the titanium plate. Chris landed on the floor painfully before rolling away towards Paul's position. A bright flash ensued leaving a charred corpse limp on the ground. Paul ran out to Chris and helped him up. "Jeez, you look like you just went to hell and back."

"I sure did, I sure did." he croaked. Paul helped Chris limp back to the fallen Gartan'haee.

"What is this? Never ever seen this before in my lifetime. And, how did you know how to take it down? Bullets were bouncing off that guy!" Paul exclaimed.

"I'll tell you as we leave the city. All the racket we made probably has the whole alien army aroused. Let's go." Unbeknownst to them, Chris was right. In fact, a Sorminar had already reported their position and transmitted it to the nearest units, which coincidentally, were three Gartan'haees leading a whole company of Damen'aans, Frem'deevs, and Hakk'aars. Chris and Paul set off at a steady pace, heading toward the nearby jungle which was now just a fourth of a mile away. "The alien we encountered was a new race, newly incorporated into the Seminar army. As the aliens were fighting us, they were also fighting the Gartan'haees." Chris' mind continued to gather information as he spoke, like building a bridge as you walk over a river. "The conquest was hard and bitter for the Gartan'haees were proud and strong fighters. In fact, the aliens spent a third of their army fighting there while one tenth fighting us! Anyways, they just finished their conquest, completely decimating the Gartan'haee army while incorporating the survivors into their army." Chris paused for a second to catch his breath. "They were strong before and now they are stronger. The Seminar army, recognizing their ability, dressed them in titanium plates and hardened rubber for flexible joints. These make them practically impervious to small arms fire, and some medium explosives. The Gartan'haees were also armed with a newly invented weapon, a mini version of the deady plasma beam. Along with this, they were equipped with a tiny pulse laser, three remote grenades, a back up mini rocket launcher, and a energy beam which was incorporated into the armor. These guys are walking tanks."

"Holey cow. Where did you get all this information? I should know too if you got briefed."

"I didn't get briefed, I just knew. Somehow, I wanted to know and then I did."

"That's weird anyways-"

Paul discontinued talking. Both of them were listening intently for they thought they heard a slight shuffle of the feet. Then a pebble hit the ground. "Oh shoot." said Chris and they dived to either side together. A massive explosion blossomed at their original spot. Chris landed behind a small brick wall, gun in hand, and fired back at the aliens. He saw a massive Gartan'haee raising its weapon at him and knew he could not fight this fight. "Paul! Fall back! Get to the jungle and call for evac! Say its hot! Evac is hot!" Chris ran backwards into another building as a white flash blinded his night vision goggles again. He ripped it off in frustration, then realized that the sun was rising and that it was light enough to not use it. _No wonder I thought it was malfunctioning sometimes, the sun's out! _"Paul! The sun's out! Get your night vision goggles off!" Chris emptied another clip into the advancing Gartan'haee before running into the next building. He risked a quick glance backwards, estimation that he had about twenty feet before he could disappear into the jungle. "Paul! Where are you!"

"Right here!" Paul yelled from the building across from him, waving with delight. Then it exploded. A plume of orange dust billowed out and a scream echoed through the land. It took him a second to realize that it was he that was screaming. "Paul!" Paul jumped out of the cloud. He had several scratches and one gash, but otherwise, he was still alive.

"Chris!"

"Fall back! Get into the jungle!" Without waiting for a reply, Chris emptied a third clip at the Gartan'haee before sprinting for the jungle. It was a sea of green with tall palm trees towering like skyscrapers. Exotic plants sprouted like grass and wavy vines crisscross the air and a multitude of bushes flood the jungle. Chris spotted Paul disappear into the wilderness and he was just about to when he heard a voice talking in the back of his head. "_He is retreating, catch him! We must not let him off the planet! Get him!" _Then another. "_Target is heading northeast, going into the jungle, passing coordinates to Sorminars._" Until it was buzzing with thousands of voices. "_Attack...Bring it...route 619...me forty eight of those...More...RETREAT! RETREAT!_" Chris was caught off guard, and the hesitation slowed him down for half a second. Half a second was all it took for the chasing Gartan'haee to take a shot at Chris. All Chris heard was a massive explosion and he was tumbling through the air, vines and leaves slapping his face, before landing heavily on a cushion bush. Paul appeared in the jungle, picked him up and ran. Chris was shaking and sweating and his mind was screaming in agony. Pain yelled at him from all directions. He heard Paul yelling into his comm, requesting immediate extraction and that they were extracting hot. "Requesting immediate extraction, coordinates 60 by 40, extraction is hot!"

"_Roger that, this is the Big Penguin reporting for extraction at 60 by 40, extracting hot." _Dimly, Chris heard the whirr of a turbofan, then realized that it must be the _Big Penguin._ _Wait a second, the voices I heard, they were gruff, as if they were alien voices translated into English. If so, I must have been listening to the alien comms, what the heck? But, wait, that would explain the Sorminars! Oh shoot, gotta warn them of the Sorminars. _Chris croaked and slapped Paul's back weakly. Paul stopped and let Chris down. Chris pulled on the comm hanging from Paul's suit and then use hand gestures to tell him that Sorminars were coming. "Sorminars are coming here?" Paul asked. Chris nodded. "You want me to warn the _Big Penguin_?" Chris nodded again. Paul picked up Chris and resumed running. "_Big Penguin_! Hailing the _Big Penguin_!"

"_This is the Big Penguin. Approaching your position. ETA two minutes."_

"Sorminars heading your way, watch out for the Sorminars. Incoming Sorminars!"

"_Roger that, warning acknowledged. Watch out for those aliens behind you, they're closing in fast."_

"Thanks!"

Paul picked up a new burst of speed and leapt over a bush. Chris grunted as he sailed in the air for a second before landing back onto Paul's shoulder. He could hear the crunching of feet on the foliage behind them, and getting louder by the second. The whirr of the turbofan was now deafening, winds blew through the thinning jungle as Paul spotted the hovering _Big Penguin_. It was hovering about a foot off the ground in a small clearing the size of an Olympic swimming pool. There was a soldier handling a gatling gun, yelling and gesturing for them to move faster. There was one other soldier crouching in the bay, pointing a single gun at them. Paul was now aware of the alien pursuers, so once he reached the clearing, he immediately dropped Chris and sprawled flat on the ground. Chris tumbled to a stop on the damp ground, and laid flat, kissing the grass. The gatling gun roared, tearing the jungle apart by filling the air with speeding bullets. A Gartan'haee just made it into the clearing before he was torn apart as he absorbed the brunt of the bullets. Its facial expression was that of a surprise as his armor armor cracked and disintegrated. The rest scattered; some tumbled through the air, others lost a limb, and some were simply reduced to mist.

Paul picked up Chris when it stopped and jumped into the _Big Penguin._ Chris was vaguely aware of being examined by Paul as he checked for any major external wounds. "He's good on the outside, but I can't tell the inside. I saw him receive a nasty wack by that big alien, Gartan'haee, and then he went flying after that. I would guess he would be lucky if his insides weren't all messed up and squishy." As if to answer that question, Chris suddenly sat up and vomited a mix of food and blood all over Paul. He fell back, feeling a roll of agony and pain strike his stomach, and the scene of him getting hit replied over and over in his mind. "Shoot, I was right. He's got internal bleeding. You got to get him onto the ship quick."

"Yes sir! I'll tell the pilot."

Just as the soldier was about to enter the cockpit, the loud speakers crackled. "_Incoming Sorminars, five in total, flying arrowhead formation. Velocity of a hundred miles an hour, ETA two minutes. I have already called for air support so just sit tight and watch the show." _The soldier disappeared into the cockpit and reappeared shortly after. "You were right," Paul said to Chris. "How'd you do it?" Chris was in too much pain to reply, though he did hear the pilot's announcement. His hands were curled into trembling fists, and his brain was screaming. He just wanted the pain to end. That's all.

As they neared the atmosphere, seven Knives, small, agile fighter planes propelled by mini ion engines, rushed past them to engage the chasing Sorminars. "_Knives reporting, engaging Sorminars...now." _Missiles were exchanged, machine guns chattered, lasers pulsed, and plasma beams flashed.

"_Turning on Polar Field..now." _There was no visible change except a slight shiver of the air, but everyone knew that looks were deceiving and they could now safely go into space without a change in cabin pressure, oxygen levels, etc.

"_This is Knive leader 5, hailing all nearby units. Requesting immediate backup. Encountered unknown alien ship. Requesting immediate backup. I repeat, requesting immediate backup."_

"_This is Flying Cannon, hailing Knive leader 5. Please state your current situation."_

"_This is Knive leader 5! Requesting immediate backup! Encountered mysterious alien ship! Ammo is low! It's invincible! I can't hit it! RE-static-" _

"_This is Flying Cannon, hailing Knive leader 5, can you hear me! Please reply! All nearby units report to last known Knive leader 5 position, coordinates 30 to 40."_

"Is that us?" Paul questioned to no one in particular. The soldier handling the gatling gun only turned it to face the planet, as if he were expecting to shoot down pursuing aliens.

"Probably," replied the other soldier, shrugging off his gun and then getting down into kneeling position. "I suggest you strap your friend into the wall there, things may just get rough."

Paul acknowledged the suggestion and strapped Chris into a sitting position. "You'll be alright, okay? We'll get you there and they'll treat you."

Chris slightly nodded, and managed a weak smile. He pulled his gun closer to him and it gave him comfort. This new sense of protection helped ease the pain, just enough for him to manage to say, "I'll be alright. Now go kick those alien butts."

Paul smiled, and he was about to reply when the _Big Penguin_ suddenly lurched violently to the right, sending Paul flying to right and landing painfully onto the metal floor. The gatling gun roared in defiance as two Sorminars flew past them at high speeds. "_Prep for evasive action." _

"Ow." said Paul as he clambered up only to fly and hit the wall as the _Big Penguin _suddenly dropped several meters. "I...don't...like...this...one...bit."said Paul. Chris groaned in agreement.

"You can switch on your boots magnetism thing with your helmet HUD. You know that?" yelled the kneeling soldier shooting out the side. "It'll help you stay steady."

Chris saw Paul's boots suddenly stick to the floor like they were embracing each other. Paul stood up uneasily, then joined them to shoot out the side. The gatling gun opened up again as it found another target, and then it was rewarded with an explosion. Chris hated not doing anything, but there wasn't anything he could do. _The pain, arrggg._ _Stupid, sitting here while they waste away. Absolutely stupid. Oh, wait a second. I got that pain stim pack in my pack! I can use that to edge the pain away for a sec. _Chris took off his pack and retrieved the pain stim pack. He injected himself with the bright red liquid and the effect was instantaneous. The pain receded and his brain felt clear once more. And just in time too. A weird Sorminar that was fatter than usual swept in close to them, bullets pinging off its armor. A gap appeared and aliens began jumping off the ship to land in the _Big Penguin. _Paul and the soldier fired furiously at every target. Aliens drifted lifeless in space, blood gushing out of their wounds. Then a Gartan'haee appeared and jumped into the _Big Penguin. _It smashed the soldier's head into red pulp, giving Paul a chance to leap away. Chris, strapped in, fired a full clip into the Gartan'haee to no avail. Instead, it did draw its attention. _Oh shoot_, Chris thought as it turned its massive hulk toward him. Then it flew out the other end, tumbling through the air like a comet, careening into the troop transport, revealing Paul holding a smoking rocket launcher. Chris looked out, there was no sign of the mysterious alien ship.

Chris unclipped himself, activated his boots, and then walked over to Paul. Paul was delighted, but was interrupted by the roar of the gatling gun. They were in space. "What the heck." he said in wonder as he stared out into space. Paul looked out and was equally surprised. There was a massive collection of ANE ships, facing an equally large force of alien ships. Already, both sides were launching their fighters, swarms of them flying between the ships. There was an explosion and then a Knife zoomed past them. "_This is the Big Penguin, requesting permission to dock."_

"_Big Penguin, this is the Flying Cannon, permission granted. Please dock at A-61."_

"_Everyone hold on, I'mma bring us in for a brief acceleration."_

Chris grabbed on to a handhold as the _Big Penguin _accelerated through space. Fighters of all kinds were engaging in small dogfights, small in size yet countless in numbers. As they neared a ship with "Flying Cannon" painted on the side, they slowed down. A small window of light opened up in the ship's hull, and the pilot directed the _Big Penguin_ into the gap. They landed successfully, and Chris deactivated his boots and jumped off the _Big Penguin. _Artificial gravity pulled him tight to the floor, resembling flat ground. Soldiers bustled about, mixing with engineers and civilians, all with a specific task in mind. The pilot led them to the command center, navigating numerous hallways with ease. The command center was located the front of the ship, providing the captain with a perfect visual. Holograms were positioned in a semicircle around a holographic map where the captain stood. Countless technicians monitored the various stations, and reports were transferred by hand. Although Chris was a private, the lowest possible rank for a soldier, he outranked Paul, the only remaining Special Agent, by three years of training.

Chris was brought directly to the captain, a tall man in his thirties wearing a white cap and a matching shirt and pants. His eyes were crinkled with smile wrinkles, and they were busy inspecting the holographic map before him. "Sir, Special Agent, private Chris sir!"

"Private Chris reporting for duty sir!" snapped Chris with a smart salute.

The captain returned the salute and then said, "Private? Are you the highest ranking Special Agent we still got?"

"Yes sir! As far as I know sir!"

The captain sighed. "Then we lost a great many deal of good lives down there, that stupid carrier. Got our hands full enough already." The captain looked sad. "You should go to your quarters and get some rest. I'll have someone lead you."

The captain was about to order an aide when Chris cut in. "Sir, requesting permission to stay on the bridge sir! I'd like to witness this battle. I've enough lost on this one battle sir! No offense."

The captain considered it for a second. "None taken. Very well soldier. You can stay here, we've all lost some good men today." The captain promptly went back to study the map. Chris also looked at the holographic map. It showed two massive clumps of ships facing each other in a texan standoff. Millions of tiny dots swarmed through through the clump. _Jesus, they must have brought the whole West Fleet here, they really want to win this one._

"Sir! Receiving feed from admiral Jester sir!"

"Put him through."

A hologram of admiral Jester popped up on the other side of the holographic map. The man was old, with wrinkled face living with a good humorous mood and sparkly eyes. "All captains. Prepare for battle. I've uploaded the individual shot clocks, positioning and likewise. The fighters will form in about five minutes. By then, hope you guys are ready to roll. Admiral out."

"Sir! Data received from admiral Jester's ship sir!"

"Put it on the map and all the other one's too."

"Yes sir! Putting it on now."

The holographic map changed dramatically. Now the ANE ships were arranged in a neat rectangle. Carriers in the center, destroyers on the flanks, frigates at the front, battleships with the carriers, and the fighters were arranged in a protective sphere around the carriers. Chris was fascinated by the formation. He seemed to remember it from his studies._ It was something like the Wing Formation or something. _"Put on the shot clocks please." ordered the captain.

"Yes sir!"

The map abruptly changed, and then there were lines connecting each ship with an alien ship. "Jesus, he's got us in a texan standoff with those aliens." whispered the captain. As Chris examined the mess more carefully, he realized the shots were staged roughly in three salvos, one after another. "Show our ship and our target."

"Yes sir!"

A single destroyer on the very right glowed. It showed a single line connecting with an alien frigate. "Sir! The other ships are moving into positions sir!"

"Transfer the coordinates to the navigation station. Halister!"

A young man in his thirties, sitting at a station labeled navigation turned around. "Yes sir?"

"Get us there at full speed without the engines burning out."

"Yes sir!"

"Wereb!"

A brown skinned man with black hair turned around. "Yes sir?"

"Warm up the rail guns, power up the second charge batteries, ready all missiles for launch, get the autocannons online, arm a nuke, and ready the lasers."

"Yes sir!"

"Nerfer!"

A man in his fifties with blond hair turned around. "Yes sir?"

"Bring us to battle stations."

"Yes sir."

A moment later, the ship shuddered and then ventured to its position. All about, ships were maneuvering into position. Chris saw that across the no-man's-space, the aliens were doing the same. "So what has the captain got for us?"

"Sir?"

"Play it out please."

"Yes sir!"

The ANE ships on the holographic map suddenly began to move. The frigates fired their railguns in five massive salvos. The destroyers on the left accelerated to orbit around Damen while the ones on the right accelerated into space. Then the frigates quantum traveled, engaged the enemy in close combat then retreated. The alien ships chased them only to have the destroyers smash into their flanks. The frigates formed into two needles, on both sides of the battleships and carriers. Then, they smashed straight into the alien formation. They simulation ended, all the ships went back to the original position. _So it isn't the wing formation, its the Swan formation, or a variation of it. _

"Sir, we are in position!"

"Good. Activate the stabilizers and route power from the engines to charging those batteries. I want at least three shots."

"Yes sir! Routing power now." A shudder went through the ship as the engines shut down.

Chris looked out the window and saw multiple ships hovering about. These were slick agile destroyers, the sharks of the fleet. They were armed with enough firepower to take down a supercarrier. Their railguns were packed with enough punch to penetrate two alien frigates.  
"Sir! Admiral Jester is sending all ships a countdown."  
"Project it please."  
"Yes sir!"  
Two digital numbers appeared on the map, counting down from one minute.  
"Route power back to engines, warm them up to ten percent."  
"Yes sir! Routing now, warming up to ten percent."  
"How many batteries do we have?"  
"Three and a half and charging sir!"  
"That will do. Get me a targeting solution according to the shot clocks."  
"Yes sir!"  
"Put in the coordinates for quantum travel and major maneuvers but put a backdoor for immediate override."  
"Yes sir!"  
"Sir! Receiving feed from admiral Jester's ship!"  
"Put him through."  
"Yes sir!"  
Right before Admiral Jester appeared, Chris stole a glance at the countdown. _Forty seconds left until this begins. _Then, the Admiral Jester appeared and began talking. "Okay cowboys, hold your horses for forty seconds. The aliens have finished their flurry, and the leader seems to like the Box Formation. Therefore, the plan is going to change slightly. Destroyers on the flanks, I want you guys to rush it when the countdown ends. Everyone else, provide covering fire. The rest will work as planned. Good luck, admiral out."  
Chris looked out into space, and confirmed the alien box formation. "Sir! Counting down from twenty seconds sir!"  
"Are the calculations done for quantum travel?"  
"Yes sir!"  
"Good. Everyone, hold tight. Once the countdown reaches zero, activate the Teamir Engines, and ready the rail gun for immediate firing."  
"Yes sir."  
Chris eyed the countdown, numbers flickering on the map. _Ten, nine, eight, seven, six.._  
"Sir! Alien ships are moving!" Chris looked out, and saw the box formation now moving. _Five, four, three..._  
"Nothing we can do, ready Temir Engines!" _Two, one, zero. _"Launch!"  
The ship bolted forward as its Temir Engines propelled it five times the speed of light. To Chris, nothing changed except one second he was watching the alien ships moving and the next he was literally witnessing the huge mammoths for himself. They were very large cylinders, like flying cigars. The grey armor was dotted with turrets and four plasma tubes. They were arranged in lines, until after five lines, the ships were arranged in a box. All along the line, destroyers were coming out of quantum travel, some crashing into alien ships as they're calculations went off. This is because although we could use quantum travel, much of it was still unknown and unpredictable to us.  
"Fire!" yelled the captain. The ship shuddered as it fired its two rail guns. Two pieces of metal propelled a hundred kilometers a second smashed into the alien frigate's thin armor. It tore through the decks and exited through the other side only to impact another and explode in it. _Two shots two kills. Nice._  
"Hard to starboard!"  
"Yes sir!"  
The ship tilted to the right, narrowly missing a plasma beam. As it shifted right, it lined up with another alien ship. "Fire!" The _Flying Cannon_ shuddered as another two alien ships exploded.  
"Fighters inbound!"  
"Activate autocannons!"  
"Yes sir!"  
As a trail of Sorminars flew by the _Flying Cannon_, autocannons placed strategically around the hull to cover all angles of fire powered up and filled the space with bullets. Fourteen trails of fire flew past the _Flying Cannon_, pilotless.  
"Halister! I'm passing control of the Blast Engines to you, so dodging plasma are your job!"  
"Yes sir!"  
"Sir! There's a frigate aimed with a collision course with us!"  
"Get me a missile lock for rows 1-2! Get the ship facing that frigate!"  
"Yes sir!"  
The _Flying Cannon_ rotated a hundred eighty degrees to face a incoming frigate. A blast resonated on the hull, sending the _Flying Cannon_ down several meters, narrowly missing a plasma discharge. "Fire!"  
Twenty missile hatches popped open simultaneously as hundreds missiles spiraled toward the incoming frigate. "Laser lock on that frigate now!"  
"Done sir!"  
"Fire!"  
A single rotating turret stopped facing the incoming frigate. Its turret glowed, turning bright red before releasing a single ray of death. The laser smashed into the frigates armor, melting through and into the hull. The frigate slowed for a fraction of a second as it received the brunt of the damage. Then, its pulse lasers opened, up; melting a third of the incoming missiles. Multiple explosions ensued as the remaining missiles struck the vulnerable gap in armor. Finally, the frigate's engines powered down and missed the _Flying Cannon, _now pilotless.  
On both flanks, ANE destroyers smashed into the thinly defended frigate line. Outmatched, the alien frigates fought valiantly to no avail. After several minutes of fighting, the ANE frigates joined the fray. Missiles, plasmas, lasers, and rail shots filled the space. On both sides, the carriers and battleships sat snugly in the back, overlooking the battle. And then, the alien battleships started to move...  
"Fifty percent reverse thrust!"  
"Yes sir!"  
The _Flying Cannon _reversed abruptly, narrowly missing an alien frigate. As it passed in front of the _Flying Cannon,_ the captain yelled, "Fire the rail guns!"  
"Firing!"  
The _Flying Cannon_ released its railguns at practically point blank range, completely spearing the frigate. The amount of energy discharged into the alien frigate was overwhelming, which explains why it suddenly broke in half, explosions rippling along the ship.  
"Weapons check!"  
"Railgun is at fifty percent, missiles row thirteen through fifty are operational, laser is at seventy five percent, autocannons ammunition is at sixty five percent, and one nuke is still armed."  
"Disable the nuke and arm five mines."  
"Yes sir!"  
"Sir receiving feed from admiral Jester!"  
"Put him through, I do want to see what that guy has to say."  
A hologram of admiral Jester disrupted the map of ships. He looked perplexed, as if the current situation wasn't progressing in a good way. "Just a note, I have info that the aliens have sent their battleships to counter the destroyer attack. All destroyers, counter those friggin battleships. We'll deal with the carriers. Admiral out."  
No sooner had the image disappeared, the map showed five battleships heading toward their destroyer formation. Also, the ANE battleships and carriers began heading for the stationary alien carriers, just as Jester promised. "Sir, receiving feed from Hester sir!"  
"Put him through."  
Hester interrupted the holographic gesticulating, "All right destroyers of the right flank, we got a problem. We got the firepower but we ain't got the defense. So this is what we're gonna do. I want the _Angel_ and the _War Horse_ to provide long range covering fire. _Butt Kicker _and _Commando_, you guys set the mines, set it for remote detonation. _Fire Eater_, _Puncher_, _Minotaur, _charge on my command. _Big Mama, _and the _Flying Cannon_, you guys are the bait, lure them in for us. Everybody understand?"  
A chorus of yes sirs came through the comm. "Good, now go kick the poop out of those alien battleships." The feed dispersed.  
The captain pondered the dilemma, consulted the holographic map, and then made a decision. "Engines to seventy percent, plot course to 26 by 32 at 3300. Come by for a loop around to course 24 by 22 at 3300."

"Yes sir!"

"Warm up dual rail guns and arm missiles thirteen through thirty. Ready the mines for remote detonation and drop them off once contact is established."

"Yes sir!"

"Sir! _Big Mama_ is hailing us."

"Put her on."

The captain of _Big Mama_ appeared where Hester just left. "So, are you ready to be the bait for the shark?"

"Sure. You ready? I got everything ready. Just waiting for the order."

"You bet," said the captain of _Big Mama_ as he rubbed his hands in supposed anticipation. "I can't wait to show those 'mighty' battleships the true extent of the ANE destroyers! Anyways, see you later."

"Sir! Feed is out. Hester is sending us a short message."

"Post it."

A short message appeared on the map with Hester's signature at the end. "You ready _Flying Cannon_? Everything's set so its all up to you. We're ready when you are. Send the signal. Hester."

"Warm up the Temir Engines and plot course for 25 by 30 at 3300."

"Plotting... done."

"Send the green light signal to all destroyers."

"Done sir!"

The captain checked the map one last time. Chris joined him, and viewed the map. The four battleships were five hundred kilometers away from the calculated entrance.

"Activate Temir Engines."

To the other destroyers, it seemed as if _Flying Cannon_ had just disappeared into thin space.

It reappeared two hundred kilometers away from the battleship and a blazing trail of light heading for them. Several hundred kilometers to the left, the _Big Mama_ appeared lasers ready to fire.  
"Plasma incoming!"  
The captain only had time to yell "Halister" before the plasma struck the _Flying Cannon_. Alarms screamed and red warning lights strobed from the navigations station where Nerfer frantically input commands. Scraping noises sounded from the lower decks as the plasma melted through the titanium armor. A blast off the bottom of the _Flying Cannon_ pulled them out of the treacherous bolt of flame and sent Chris and the captain flying.

"Damage report!" yelled the captain as he picked himself off the floor.

"Lower decks one through two are gone sir! Their melted clean!"

"Hull titanium at twenty five percent, one railgun is out of commission, mines are gone, and missile rows one through five are gone."

"Coolant tank three is leaking, engines heating, routing coolant from tank two. Blast Engines one and two are gone."

"What the heck did they hit us with and how the heck did they know we were here in the first place?" asked the captain to no one in particular. "Seal deck three, move all unused personnel into the safe zone, and activate hydraulics in empty zones. Route power from damaged railgun to batteries. Engines ninety percent, course correction 30 by 46."

"Yes sir!"

"Sir, detecting plasma buildup from battleship A, its warming up the lasers too!" All four battleships were labeled A through D. Currently, battleship A was the closest while battleship C was the farthest from the _Flying Cannon_. "Battleship D is heading our direction and releasing fighters sir!"

"Railguns?"

"Two hundred and sixty percent sir!"

Suddenly, a proximity alert sounded. The battleship loomed across the view of space. "Sir! Battleship A is closing in thirty kilometers! Collision imminent!"

"Brace for impact!"

The two hulls scraped against each other in a battle of titanium. Eventually, the alien vessel's armor prevailed against the already weakened _Flying Cannon._ A hideous screeching erupted as the _Flying Cannon's_ titanium armor was ground to dust and the decks collapsed. On the side of the _Flying Cannon,_ chaos reigned. It was a replay of the Titanic's fateful ending, except in space. The massive alien battleship sheared away the bottom corner of the _Flying Cannon_. Venting atmosphere was what saved the _Flying Cannon _from total annihilation as it propelled the ship away from the alien battleship.

"Get us righted! I want a clear shot at that friggin' battleship!"

"Permission to vent atmosphere on lower decks sir!"

"Granted!"

"Venting...now!"

The ship slowed as the leaking oxygen was suddenly expelled in one gust. Small maneuvering engines halted the ship's spinning motion and rotated it to face the battleship.  
"Targeting solution for rail gun and missiles thirteen through thirty! Get me a lock for the laser too! I want two shots for the rail guns!"  
"Acquired sir!"  
The alien battleship fired two searing bolts of death followed by a multitude of smaller lasers. Twenty plasma missiles followed this barrage of fire. There was no escaping this attack, both Chris and the captain knew it. It was all they could do to take down the battleship with them.  
"Giv'em everything they got. Give'em he**."  
The ship shuddered as the single rail gun fired twice in succession. Thousands of missiles flew in a swarm, only penetrated by a single ray of laser. Both massive shows of death passed each other in the middle, which was when both captains began to react.  
"Blast Engines! Get us out of the worst! Activate autocannons!"  
Three dull thumps resounded on the top of the ship and the _Flying Cannon _slowly descended in altitude. The other alien battleship was doing likewise, trying to evade the massive display. About the ship, autocannons turned to target the incoming missiles. Millions of bullets filled the space in an attempt to halt the barrage. A number of missiles were destroyed but the majority made it through the desperate defense. As the lasers, plasma, and missiles homed in on the _Flying Cannon_, Chris did a prayer and everyone else looked grim.  
"It was good working with you all soldiers. You're all good soldiers. God save the ANE." said the captain.  
"God save the ANE," everyone else murmured. It was the last thing said before the barrage impacted. Chris was literally thrown off the floor, and slammed into the wall. The captain was likewise banged, and lay prone against the flickering holographic map. Explosions tore the ship  
apart and the hull was completely demolished. Decks collapsed as plasma missiles melted through the fragile metal. Lasers stripped the _Flying Cannon_ of its armor, ripping it off like ferocious canines. Then the flames of death slammed into the ship, shredding through the decks like paper and then exiting through the dead engines. The _Flying Cannon _limped off into space, only propelled by its previous momentum.  
The alien battleship suffered a slightly better fate. With a denser armor and a thorough pulse laser system, it shrugged off the swarm of missiles with minimal damage. While the laser dealt some damage, penetrating specific chinks in the armor, the rail gun was the worst. It penetrated the titanium bulwark and exploded inside the battleship after losing momentum. This new turn of events brought on hesitation on the captain's part, allowing the _Big Mama_ to finish the job with an ambush.  
Chris picked himself from the floor and inspected himself. A sharp pain attacked his leg, but he was convinced it was nothing serious. The lack of lighting really messed up his eyesight, reducing visibility to five meters. The personnel were beginning to regain consciousness as they picked themselves up from wherever they ended up. All electricity reliant appliances were offline, but they slowly flickered on, along with the lights, as the bridge's emergency generator powered on.

The bridge was a mess, that Chris could see. Anything that wasn't secured properly was scattered about. Papers, pens, and all sorts of things were strewn about. The captain stood up and walked back to the map table followed by Chris. There was a bloody gash on the captain's forehead where it connected with the map table. His hair was unruly and his uniform would earn the dead disapproval of a martinet. Everyone was pretty much seated in their stations, generally unharmed, and checking the ship's status.

"Damage report," demanded the captain shakely, still recovering from minor trauma.

"Main engines are down, sub engines require extensive repair, main generator is down, Temir Engines are intact, decks one through ten are gone, decks thirteen through sixteen require extensive repair, coolant tank three is empty, and structural integrity is reduced to sixty percent."

"Railguns are offline, laser at thirty percent, missile rows thirty through fifty are intact, remaining autocannons are at thirty percent, mines are gone, and nukes are intact."

"Move all remaining personnel into green zones and get the engineers working on the generator. After a minute, vent atmosphere from red zones."

"Yes sir!"

The captain eyed the map, along with Chris to check out the situation. Apparently after their loss, the other destroyers had rushed the battleships, and now they were engaged in a heated conflict. _Firehorse _was nowhere to be seen, while _Big Mama_ and _Commando_ were badly wounded. Two battleships were drifting listlessly in space, but the remaining two continued to fight. Although the destroyers outnumbered the battleships two to one, the battleships outmatched them three to one.

On the bigger map, broken ships littered the space, while the surviving ones chased each other in games of cat and mouse. The ANE carriers travelled together, huge swarms of fighters, bombers, etc. planes killing any frigate daring to challenge their might. The ANE battleships were spread about, while the alien carriers were now dead hulks in space. Casualty counts show that seventy six ANE ships were dead, thirty two wounded; the aliens suffered eighty two dead and three wounded. It was a costly fight, and Chris just hoped it was worth it.

"How much can we muster on the engines?"

"Sir, I have the VASIMR III engines online, they'll provide ninety percent thrust for three minutes."

"Bring engines to seventy percent. Plot course to original position, we'll catch some R&R, the ANE battleships can finish the job, ours is done."  
"Yes sir." There was a collective sigh of relief at the prospect of rest and recuperation.  
"You did good sir." said Chris, and without knowing it, he fainted.


End file.
